Beautiful Strangers
by afaithfulwriter890
Summary: Carlisle is getting ready to clock out at the hospital, when a beautiful woman named Esme is rushed in, believed to be dead, but Carlisle can hear her heart beating. He has met her before and decides to change her, not knowing what he is taking on.
1. Chapter 1: The Beautiful Patient

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter One -****The Beautiful Patient**

It was normal for me to clock out late during my work days and I knew that Edward expected me to but I felt anxious as I sat in my office nosing through files. My pale, ice-cold hands sliding over hand-written and sometimes typed accounts of what had gone on in the hospital, as I studied, reading every line twice out of boredom. I picked up the file and threw it out on the desk with a disgusted noise as I ran my fingers through my blonde hair.

I wished I could sleep. I wanted to dream. I wanted to dream of something—what? Freedom from this damned life of mine? Dream of my 'son' Edward? Or dream of the wife I longed to have but knew it was impossible.

There were many beautiful women in our town but Edward and I knew it wouldn't be wise to associate ourselves with them. Besides the nurses at my hospital, I stuck clear of most women. None of them truly appealed to me, though many had flawless beauty and I would hear them whisper behind my back about how handsome I was and how I was such a gentleman. It pleased me to know that my workers thought so high of me, but as for my beauty, I considered it a curse.

My beauty was a tool to lure my victims in. I was a vampire—a servant of the devil destined to rot in hell for all of eternity. I hated bringing the innocent around us, and a part of me would never forgive myself for changing Edward.

I pushed the pain to the back of my mind and scribbled some notes down on a piece of paper. I stood up and was about to take off my lab-coat when one of my nurses came in. "Dr. Cullen!" she said urgently, her eyes alive with panic. "We have a serious situation!"

I did not fear for the human who was injured. I did not worry about losing control. I promised that whoever was out there, I would not kill. I made myself this promise long ago before I became a doctor. I wanted to make a difference, even if I was a monster.

Almost instantly I went into action—out of my seat and into the hallway as fast as a human could go. They wheeled her in, this beautiful woman—pale skinned (but not white like my own) with reddish-brown hair. My heart had been silent for years, but I knew that if I were human it would've stopped in its tracks.

Her beauty alone over-whelmed me—a perfect picture of mortal perfection. I followed as the nurses wheeled her so they could perform the presiders. "What's her name?" I asked the nurse who walked beside me with a file. "Esme Evenson," the nurse told me. "She fell off a cliff."

I winced at that. She _fell?_ "Her husband is Charles Evenson," the nurse went on.

_Dammit—married._ "Apparently," the nurse went on. "Her husband was abusive and she bore him a child. A few days ago the poor little thing died of a lung infection."

_Abused? How dare he? How in the name of heaven could he mistreat such perfection?_ As we walked along, I began studying Esme's face. I recognized her as a girl I had treated many years ago when she had fallen from a tree. She was no more than a child then—how she had grown! And how beautiful she had become!

I spoke with the nurse about the rest of her life as we walked and soon zoned out thinking about her. This beautiful woman—who was dying—might be the woman of my dreams. This… human… I didn't doubt that I would be capable of changing her, but the question was: was I brave enough to do it? To take her whole life away, make her a demon—could I do that if I truly loved her? I barely knew her but I was compelled by her. They said she had a child; could I take that away from her—the ability to have children?

A nurse that had been working over her stepped back. "She's gone," she whispered sadly.

_No! No she can't be dead!_ I thought anxiously. I listened as hard as I could and heard the faint beat of her heart. "I'll take her home," I said. "Back to her husband."

The nurses didn't argue and I picked up the beautiful stranger and cradled her in my arms. The feel of her warm skin against mine was nothing more than pure pleasure. I looked down at her peaceful face as the shadow of death swept across it.

I had acknowledged as well as accepted that I was a monster but as I was alone with her as I carried her out into the night air, I felt something snap inside. I didn't want her blood—I wanted her body. It was a dirty desire and I was ashamed to feel it—she was married for crying out loud! I had no right to love her, I had no right to want her in the way I did, but I knew what must be done—I could not let this beautiful woman die, not in my arms.

There was only one thing left in my power to do. I ran her home at vampire speed-whipping past trees and branches as I went. I could smell Edward in the woods—hunting… great. He was still but a newborn and he didn't have as much self-control when it came to humans. I knew he would be outraged that I planned to do this to yet again another innocent human. I knew that Edward loved me like a father, but I knew he hated me for doing this to him as well.

Luckily, we didn't cross paths. Esme squirmed in my arms and let out a painful sigh. I knew it wouldn't be long before it was too late. I carried her into the house—it was open but small. Since it was just Edward and I neither of us bothered to really decorate the house. We had our rooms which were piled high with books and music. In my room, I set her on the small bed I had for lounging while I read or listened to music though it was little use to me since I couldn't sleep.

Her heartbeat was beginning to fade. I kneeled down beside the bed and brushed my thumb across her cheek. "Esme," I whispered. "I am going to save you, but the way I'm going to do so is not pleasant," I warned her. "Are you ready?"

I heard her whisper a groan and her heart nearly stopped. I bent down and acted as if I were to kiss her, but instead let my teeth sink into her throat.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed and continue to read! :)


	2. Chapter 2: Confrontation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Two - ****Confrontation**

I covered her mouth before a scream could escape. My throat burned for her blood. This was the second time I had bit a human in order to save their life. I wondered if I would ever truly become accustomed to the burning, horrible sensation in my throat. Her blood tasted delicious. I wanted to bite her again and just take a little…

No. I would not bite her again. I would never be able to stop once I'd started. This beautiful woman meant too much to me for me to waste. I knew what I had to do. I had to take her home; back to my house and tell my adopted son Edward.

Edward wouldn't approve of her. He nearly hated me when he learned that I'd changed him into a vampire. Would Esme Evenson also hold this grudge against me? I had no time to worry about that now. I carried her home, one hand still over her mouth.

Her eyes were closed. I wondered if it hurt too much for her to truly scream. I moved my hand away. Her face was twisted in pain, and her mouth open in the form of a scream, but nothing came out. I heard her heart pounding in her chest as my venom began to take over her feeble human body. She felt warmer than ever as her own immune system tried to fight back against the powerful toxic saliva.

I broke into a run, anxious to set her down and to no longer feel her pounding heart throb against my chest. I felt overwhelmed, knowing what I had done. Had I truly saved her? Or had I condemned her to this damned life? I felt like a giant hole was growing inside my chest. I had made her a monster like myself. She would never grow old; she would never die and live a happy life in Heaven. She would always be like this—never moving forward. Frozen. With me. Forever. I didn't even know if she would even thank me for this.

It was no more than minutes before I reached our small house. Well, it wasn't necessarily small. It was a good-sized house. It was all on the ground-floor. It was a large brick house in the front. Inside, the walls were painted white. Everything was neat and tidy. It included a kitchen that we never used. We really didn't need to sit, but we had chairs, couches and beds for decoration. The main things in the house were my work files and bills, our music records and our books. Edward was home almost all day reading, listening to music, or looking through my stuff.

I saw him as I came closer. I slowed to a walk, knowing he would smell my scent as well as Esme's. He was lounging on the couch with a book in his hands. By the looks of it, he was rereading _The Tempest _for the billionth time. He looked up, Esme's scent probably reaching him. His eyes locked with mind. I frowned slightly. I knew he was already reading my mind.

Edward has a special talent in a way. Sometimes, when vampires are changed, they have special talents. Edward's, for example, is mind reading. When I lived with the Volturi, a very powerful coven of vampires that life in Italy, almost all the vampires there were extremely gifted. Aro, Marcus, and Caius, the three leaders, all had different powers. I had no gift. I was normal.

He was at the door in seconds, using his vampire speed. The door swung open with such force, I thought it would fly off the hinges. He stalked over to me, his topaz eyes blazing with fury. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?" he yelled as loud as he could.

I didn't even flinch. I was used to this. Edward and I rarely fought, but I knew he hated being a monster as much as I did. The thought of me ruining another life, in his eyes, proved that I wasn't truly sorry for changing him.

"Edward," I began.

"Stop!" he snarled. "I know the whole story!"

I rarely had to say things when I was with him. He would just pick through my mind and know why I did what I did. I was embarrassed. He'd know how I felt about her. How much I wanted her in that beast-like way.

"Edward, look, I'm sorry. I couldn't let her die…" I said evenly and glanced down as Esme's changing body. Her face was still twisted in pain. Her eyes closed and her skin rippling as she began to become pale. "I need to get her inside," I said quickly and brushed past him.

I took her up to my room, knowing that Edward wouldn't welcome her in his view. Since I had no operation table there, I knew the bed I never used would be suffice.

Closing the door behind me, knowing Edward wouldn't want to see her, I flipped on the light switch. My room was larger than Edward's. It was mainly because of my huge bookshelf that contained books dating as far back as the 1650s. Yeah, I know I'm old.

I laid her on my bed, on top of the blood-red comforter and put her head on pillow that was there for show with no pillowcase. I hoped she'd be moderately comfortable, though I knew that she wouldn't truly be comfortable for a while.

Not wanting to stick around, I left the room. I closed the door behind me and saw Edward waiting there for me. He leaned against the opposite wall, his arms folded across his chest. His jaw was set, and his eyes blazing. "Her name is Esme."

"I know what her name is," he replied hotly.

"I wish you wouldn't do that," I muttered turning away from him to go to the kitchen. Anywhere to get away from his burning gaze.

"Read your mind?" he sneered. It sounded like he was smirking behind my back.

I felt a twinge of agitation run through me. "Be smart like that," I replied, trying to keep my voice impassive. I wouldn't let him get to me. I would not let him get to me.

"A little late for that, isn't it?" he muttered. "You were smart enough to change me, right?"  
>I gritted my teeth in annoyance. "Edward what's done is done. You should probably stop whining about it and get on with your life."<p>

"What life?" Edward snarled suddenly. His furious tone made me turn to face him. "THIS IS WHAT YOU CALL LIFE?" he roared and punched a hole through the white wall he had been leaning against. "YOU EXPECT ME TO GET OVER IT LIKE IT WAS JUST SOME INJURY? YOU EXPECT ME TO BE HAPPY LIKE THIS? AS A MONSTER?"

I stood there strongly and let him get it out, but his words pierced me like a knife. I longed to be back in the room alone with Esme. I didn't know which I'd rather take at the moment—see Esme suffer as my venom claimed her, or listen to my adopted son scream out his hatred for me.

Before I could reply to his sharp words, he whipped around and ran out the door again. Whenever he'd run out like that, I'd always wonder if he was coming back.

The next day, Esme's transformation was finally complete. I was at her side during the time. I hadn't left the room since my fight with Edward the previous night. If he had returned, I had not heard him. He seemed to be just a distant memory. He seemed as distant as my own father all those years ago in London when I saw him last…

Esme's eyes fluttered open to reveal her breathtaking, newborn red eyes. Her eyes instantly locked with mine. "Dr. Cullen?" she rasped. I knew her throat had to hurt. About ten years ago, I had set her broken leg when she fell from a tree. She actually remembered me.

"Esme, do you know what you are? Do you know what I am?" I asked her quietly; as if I was afraid my voice would shatter the sincerity and the perfectness of this moment.

"N-no," she stuttered. Her throat had to feel on fire… I thought that maybe I should take her hunting first.

"Esme, you're a vampire now. I'm a vampire. My adopted son, Edward is also a vampire. Your back was broken and you were dying. I didn't think you deserved to die, so I bit you and you changed into what I am," I explained.

She looked at me with wide, terrified, beautiful red eyes. "W-what?"

"Come on, I'll take you hunting. It will soothe your throat," I promised.

She sat up on my bed and blinked in confusion. "Where am I?" she whispered.

"In my house. Remember, no one can know what we really are now," I told her gently.

She nodded, and I knew she understood.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading and please review! :)


	3. Chapter 3: Monster

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Three - ****Monster**

I took Esme outside. There was still no sign of Edward in the house. I wished I could hold her hand, but I was hesitant. She was married… Her husband might be abusive, but she was married.

It wasn't long after we got outside that I smelled blood. There was a herd of deer nearby. Esme smelled it too. Her instincts took over and she darted off in their direction. I followed her quickly to make sure that she didn't run across any humans. Their scent would overpower her and she would kill them quickly.

I couldn't smell any humans nearby, so I relaxed and let her take the lead. Her instincts would go crazy if she thought someone was following her, trying to beat her to her blood.

I arrived there when she had already killed and young blood. She was still draining it, her blood-red eyes slowly beginning not to be as bright, but fading to a more orange color. It would take a while for her eyes to become like Edward's and mine.

Speaking of my son, I smelled him. I looked across the clearing where the herd had been grazing as saw another figure crouching over a deer carcass. It was no doubt that it was Edward. He looked up reading my thoughts. I couldn't see his expression, but he quickly fled the scene.

I sighed sadly, wishing he would forgive me. Esme was rising from her position over the deer, growling. "It's empty!" she hissed in a beast-like way.

Turning to face her, I knew she still was thirsty just by the way she spoke. "Come on, we'll find more. The herd can't have gotten far."

Then I smelled it. The thing I dreaded to smell. Human. Esme's head shot up and she looked toward it. She darted off toward. I followed trying to grab her so I could hold her back. "NO ESME!" I yelled. "DON'T! WE HUNT ANIMALS NOT HUMANS!"

_Edward,_ I thought quickly. _Please if you can hear me, help me. Esme is about to attack a human!_

Esme was a few feet before me. I grabbed her dress that was blown backwards in the wind in an effort to restrain her. I felt dirty for it, but I could've cared less then. There was a blur as something blindsided her.

I recognized Edward lying on top of her. He had her pinned down by the shoulders and was almost sitting on her waist trying to hold her down. I felt a weird emotion that I hadn't felt for a while rush through me—jealousy. What in the name of God did I have to be jealous about? I felt furious with myself and glared at the ground.

Esme was snarling. She punched Edward in the nose. He hissed in pain as it flew off. Esme squirmed out of his grip and ran off toward the human. I swore simultaneously with Edward. Edward was cursing her with such profanity, I normally would've scolded him for using such language, but I darted after Esme as he tried to reattach his nose.

There was a scream from up ahead, and I knew she'd found the human. I got there and knocked her away from him but she'd already bit him. The next thing I knew, her fist was colliding with my cheek bone. I winced as my face cracked from her newborn strength. I fell back and she returned to draining the human.

My cheek healed quickly but it was too late. The poor man that had been in the wrong place at the wrong time was dead. Esme was sitting back on her knees, his deliciously-smelling blood dripping from her chin. She stared at his lifeless, pale body in horror.

I sat up and looked at her. "Esme…" I whispered. I didn't know what to say. Should I scold her? Explain to her that we only hunt animals in our family? Or should I tell her it was okay that she'd killed someone and drank their blood?

"What have I done?" she whispered, her eyes were back to bright blood-red once more. "What did you do to me? Why did you change me?" she insisted. She sounded more tortured than furious.

I moved closer to her. "I didn't want you to die," I whispered finally. I was sitting less than a foot away from her as I spoke. I wanted to reach out and touch her face gently and wipe away imaginary tears. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and just hold her as close as I could.

"Well I did!" Esme snapped. "I jumped off that cliff because I lost everything! My mother set me up with this abusive jerk that was off fighting in the war half the time. He made sure I'd have a child a couple visits ago and gave birth to his son. He was the only thing I had. I was so happy and then he died! I had nothing so I tried to kill myself!"

This only made me want to hug her more. "I'm so sorry," I whispered. "I would never abuse you. Ever. Neither would Edward. If you want to leave us, you can. We won't force you to stay, but before you go, I should tell you about the vampire rules."

That got her attention. She looked up at me. "Rules? For monsters like me?" she whimpered.

"Like us," I reminded and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear without thinking.

She smiled a little. "What are these rules I should know about?"

I smiled back, happy she did smile. "Well, for one thing, if you decide you want to feed on people, you have to make sure you don't kill excessively in one area," I said glancing at the dead body.

She winced a little. "I don't plan on… you know drinking anymore people."

I smiled widely. "Well, in my family, we drink animals anyway," I said.

"Great."

"Another one is don't expose us," I added. "There's this coven in Italy that I used to live with. They're called the Volturi. They uphold the vampire laws and… er… take care of anyone who violates them."

Esme looked a little scared. "They sound… a little scary," she whispered, looking down as if she were embarrassed to say so.

I chuckled a little and again brushed that strip of hair that annoyed me behind her ear. "They won't come for you if you stick with me and with the rules."

"Well, I think I'll stick around," she decided weakly and looked at the man again. "He probably had a wife and kids… and now he'll never return to them because of me… I feel awful."

I sighed sadly. "Well, there's nothing else we can do. Let's go find Edward. He's probably struggling to put his nose back one.

Esme gasped. "What?"

"When you punched him, his nose came off. That's sort of how you kill a vampire—rip them apart and burn the pieces," I explained to her.

"Whatever happened to garlic and stakes," she giggled.

I laughed quietly. "I dunno," I said and led her back to where Edward had been.

He was still cursing up a storm. "Dammit. DAMN IT!" he growled as his nose fell down back into the grass.

I tried not to chuckle and went up to help. I got down on my knees and took his nose. "Hold still," I hissed at him.

Edward muttered bad things under his breath. "Damn bitch. Thinks she can knock my nose off. Screw her," he growled.

I growled back. _Watch it, Edward, _I thought to him.

He rolled his eyes

_Please. She's… important… Please be nice for once in your life?_

He snorted in false amusement, but I think he'd try for me. I was able to get his nose back on after five minutes of fooling with it and he said the first 'thank you' to me in months.

Once all our thirsts were quenched, we went home again. Esme walked beside me the whole way. I felt a connection with her already. I thought that maybe, finally, I had someone to love. Someone that I could marry and be happy with. Maybe spending eternity with a woman would make things much more bearable. Maybe that's exactly what Edward needed—a wife.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! Please review!


	4. Chapter 4: Alone

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Four - ****Alone**

Edward left us shortly after we returned home. Apparently he'd read my thoughts and figured he'd go find a wife. I glared at him when he said it, but he left to probably just be alone for a bit and think. I knew it had to be awkward for him with a woman in the house now. It was awkward enough for me. If it were just us, Edward could lounge around his boxers all day and read or watch TV or do whatever pleased him, now with Esme there, things would change.

Having a woman's touch in the house would probably change the look of the interior. As soon as Edward left, she began looking at the white walls and the old furniture that was unnecessary. She started talking about what she would do if she would do the house. I smiled and listened.

"If you want, you can remodel the house," I offered. "We can probably stay here a few more years before we have to move again."

Esme turned to face me. "What do you mean 'move again'?" she asked, confusion mixed with anxiety clear in her voice.

"Well, since we don't age, it can get a little suspicious when you're supposed to be older than you really are. We can only live for so long in one area," I explained.

Esme nodded. "Oh… so… What about family? Like human family?" she asked quietly.

"It's hard at first sometimes… But it gets easier. After a few decades, everyone you know will be dead by then," I said. I thought of my father, a pastor. He dedicated himself to ridding the world of vampires. I tried to help, but one night, I myself got bit… I thought of Edward and his family, most of whom were already dead. His mother knew what I was. Her dying wish was that I bite him and save his life.

Esme nodded sadly "So I'll never see anyone I know ever again?" she whispered, her voice sounding devastated.

I sighed sadly with her. "I'm sorry."

Esme shook her head weakly. "You were just doing what you thought was right."

_'What you thought was right' she doesn't forgive me, does she? Or does she?_ I wondered. I wondered what she met by that. I wanted nothing more than the wrap my arms around her waist and shower her neck with kisses from behind.

She was facing the wall and I was tempted to do so. My entire being ached for her touch. I wanted to brush that annoying strand of hair away from her beautiful face. I wanted to feel her body press against mine in wonderful ecstasy.

I shook my head with disgust. I might have been a vampire, but I was a man. I desirous, dirty, covetous man. I was coveting her as I knew it. I wanted her and I was taking her, when she wasn't mine to take. She was a married woman for God's sake. She obviously wasn't happy with her husband. She would never see him again… He thought she was dead most likely…

While I was lost in my thoughts, she'd ask me a question I didn't hear. "Oh! Pardon me?" I asked looking up from staring at the ground.

She smiled weakly. "I was thinking maybe instead of white, we could do beige. It would match the furniture and the wooden tables."

I smiled back the same way. "Sure. Whatever you like. Edward and I don't care."  
>She smiled sheepishly and looked down. I knew she probably didn't have much free reign at home. I wished I could tell her how much I wanted her to be happy here. I wished I could tell her about my feelings for her…<p>

"You've been so nice to me Dr. Cullen," she whispered.

I then remembered she didn't even know my first name. "Call me Carlisle."

"Carlisle," she repeated smiling.

When she said my name, the covetous wanting came back. It felt like I shivered though I knew it was impossible. "Esme," I replied.

She smiled widely and looked down again. She could've been blushing if she were human. _If…_

_Enough of this Carlisle! _A more selfish side of myself said. _She's with you and you can love her now. You can kiss her, hold her, and make love with her all you wish once you marry her. You will marry her. You have to._

More dirty thoughts came to me. Damn it. I tried not to look at her, knowing her beautiful figure would only invite more disrespectful images into my head.

Before I knew it, she was walking toward me. I looked up and tried to focus solely on her flawless face. No blemish or pimples… just perfection. She was beautiful human, now she was amazing. She looked like an angel. I wondered if she felt the same about me. I'd heard some of the nurses at my hospital say I looked like a god, like Zeus's younger brother. If they knew what I truly was, they wouldn't call me that anymore.

For the first time since we got home, I realized that Esme and I were actually alone. Edward was probably long gone—most likely on his way to Alaska to visit the Denali Coven. I had old companions up there. One female in particular—Tanya—showed great interest in Edward. I was alone with Esme in the middle of the woods with her so close…

I didn't know that I could ever want anything more than I wanted human blood sometimes. But this… this passion I felt for a woman I met and barely knew overwhelmed me. I wanted it more than anything in the world.

"Thank you, Carlisle," she whispered finally.

"For what?" I whispered back, again afraid that if I raised my voice any higher I would ruin the purity of that moment.

"For changing me."

"I thought you hated me for that?" I queried again in a whisper.

"I did… at first… Now I can't think of something more wonderful… Being with you… and Edward of course," she said adding Edward awkwardly at the end looking away. "I think I'll like here," she said moving a bit closer.

_Dammit Esme. Damn you. Damn you for doing this to me—turning me into a bigger monster than I already am!_ I thought with irritation. At the same time, I never felt so exhilarated. I felt like nothing could bring me down from my feelings. This was mean to be. It had to.

"Carlisle…" she whispered at last. "Do you believe in soul mates?"

I took in a sharp breath as I understood. "Yes… I do," I whispered and put one hand just about her waist, deciding the waist was a bit low. I put my left hand on her cheek and leaned in to kiss her…

She pulled abruptly away. I froze and realized I'd gone too far for her comfort. She was staring at me with a mixture of longing and pain in her eyes. "Carlisle, I…" she trailed off and ran to my room, closing the door behind her.

She left me standing there, my hands still poised as if they were on her luscious body. I'd gone too far… I made that perfect creature feel uncomfortable. I swore under my breath. "Dammit. Damn me to the deepest pit of hell where I belong! Dammit!"

I muttered a lot more profanity under my breath before sitting on the couch Edward had been on when I arrived with Esme the previous night. The sun was setting in the distance and slanting through the windows.

Glancing out the window, I saw the splattered shades of red, yellow, orange and purple drawn across the sky as if a toddler colored it in. The sun was dipping lower and lower under the horizon. I watched it, having nothing else to do. Nature had so many beautiful things within it. So much beauty like Esme… So much determination and undecided strength like Edward. So much misunderstood realities like the entire vampire species.

Sure, there were true killers out there… ones that feasted on humans, but not all of us were like that as Eleazar and the Denali Coven and my small family proved.

The sun finally disappeared leaving the sky and awkward shade of purples, blues, grays and hints of orange. I wondered if I would remember that sunset. So many things pass you by. In all my years, things have happened where I thought to myself 'surely I could not forget'. I thought I couldn't forget this hunt, this sunset, this… passion like the one I felt for Esme… but I suppose that one day, things are forgotten. I wanted to remember it in my mind. My mind was spammed with useless memories when the memory I wanted, was the family I lost.

I wanted to be married and have biological children with my wife. I loved Edward like a son, though he could be very difficult, but that was part of being a parent, right? Patience is a virtue. I was taught so many things that I wanted to pass onto my children. I wanted to make my wife happy and satisfy her… Actually sleep with her. Now… I didn't know anymore.

Picking up _The Tempest_, I looked at the page Edward had stopped on. It was only the first page. He had probably just started reading it. I browsed through a few pages, flipping nonchalantly through it, since I had the story mostly memorized. It was a fairly young play when I was born in the 1640s since it was published sometime around 1610-1611. Remembering those details made me feel ancient.

I heard a door open and looked up. Esme came out of me room. Her hair was messy like she'd been laying down.

"Haven't been trying to sleep have you?" I asked. I remembered that I forgot to mention to her we didn't sleep.

"How'd you know?" she murmured sadly and sat down in the chair I usually sat in.

"Sorry… I guess I should've told you but we don't sleep," I whispered mostly to myself.

She heard it and let on an agitated hiss. "You could've told me!" she snapped.

"I forgot!" I said in defense.

Esme sighed and pulled her legs up onto the chair. I noticed she was barefoot. Her dress was long enough so I didn't look at her womanhood in a way. She sighed and sat in the fetal position, her chin on her knees.

"Regretting being a vampire?" I asked finally.

She shook her head. "It's just… boring."

I chuckled. "You have no idea."

We both laughed and got up so see what was in the record player. I turned it on and Edward's favorite song, Claire De Lune started playing out of the speakers.

Esme smiled. "It's a beautiful song," she said putting her feet back on the floor.

"It's my son's favorite. I like it too," I replied and turned to her. "Would you like to dance?" I asked weakly

She smiled widely. "Sure."

I managed a smile back and reset it the song so it played from the beginning, starting to play quiet, soft piano notes.

She rose to her feet and walked over to me. Her white dress when down to her feet and had a few rips in it at the bottom around the legs. I put my left hand on her waist as she put her right on my shoulder. I took her left hand with my right and held it up in the air. We then began to dance.

We moved beautifully together like we had been practicing for ages. It felt so natural to be with her. Our bodies moved together, never breaking apart. After a while, she moved closer so we touched. I felt like my body was on fire with lust for her. I tried to ignore it.

The song ended too soon. I wished it would've lasted forever. She smiled and pulled away from me. "You're a wonderful dancer."

"You too," I breathed.

She stepped closer again and put on hand on the cheek she'd punched and cracked earlier that day. She got up on her tip-toes and pressed her lips to mine. It wasn't like humans kissing. When it was too vampires, it was different. There was a little bit of softness and a little bit of give but not much. She was warmer than I imagined.

I kissed her back gently and she pulled away and looked down. "Sorry."

"Don't be," I whispered and touched her cheek with my fingertips. I leaned down to kiss her again when the door opened.

"Hey!" Edward said cheerfully clearly glad he walked in on us.

Esme pulled away quickly. "Hello Edward," she said kindly.

I did my best not to frown and gave Edward a look. _Just wait until you get a girlfriend,_ I growled to him in my thoughts.

Edward just smirked and skipped gleefully to his room.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review! Hope you enjoyed! :)


	5. Chapter 5: Friends

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Five - Friends**

Esme and I seemed almost distant after that night. A few days past and Esme spent most of her time getting used to the house and becoming familiar with our literature and music. I spent my days at work and at night, sometimes we would go hunting as a family. The rumor had spread that I was living with a woman now and the sly looks the nurses had cast at me ceased. I felt like everything I had was gone and I was nothing anymore, like a ghost.

Sometimes at night, Esme and I would talk but we'd never really make contact like we did that night we danced. As the weekend approached, I was, for once, relieved. The work week would be over and I would be able to take the weekend off and bond with Esme.

Friday night, I returned home to something I didn't expect. In my living room stood a man about 5'11. He had dark brown almost black hair. I recognized him immediately. Beside him stood a beautiful woman with long black hair. Though she was pale, she seemed a little darker. Beside her stood another woman that appeared to be flirting with Edward. She was tall and skinny with strawberry-blonde hair. They were a few of my friends from the Denali Coven.

I went inside to greet them. "Eleazar, Carmen, Tanya!" I said happily. "It's wonderful to meet you all again!"

Eleazar smiled widely and shook my hand heartily. "Carlisle!" he exclaimed. "You haven't changed!" he joked and we both laughed.

His mate, Carmen, stood shyly beside him. I kissed her hand politely making her smile and did the same with Tanya. "What brings you all to Columbus Ohio?" I asked them.

"We just thought we'd come visit. Edward wrote us a while ago saying we should drop by, so we decided to on our way to South America for a major hunting trip," Eleazar explained.

Carmen wandered away from her mate's side and made her way over to Esme who was watching awkwardly. I glanced at them quickly before returning my attention to Eleazar. "Well, it's good to see you old friend!"

"She's beautiful," Eleazar observed shooting a glance at Esme. I smiled weakly. "Yes, she is," I replied in a whisper.

"Is she… you're…" he trailed off as if he couldn't bring himself to ask the question aloud.

I looked up at Eleazar. It was weird sometimes speaking to him. He was nearly 7 foot while I was only 6'2. "Oh… No," I said firmly. "She fell off a cliff," I partially lied. "She was brought to the hospital and I didn't want to let her die so I changed her and brought her home."

"Not without hope I'm sure," Eleazar observed.

I looked down sadly.

He laughed. "I know you Carlisle!" he said. "I know how you think by now. You'll get it don't worry," he said smiling happily.

When he smiled it was impossible not to smile back. I wished I could believe him. I wished that I could even have that hope…

"So, any newcomers in your coven?" I asked conversationally.

He smiled ruefully. "I'm afraid so—Irina and this new vampire friend of hers. They're… particularly close. I mean marriage close. He's not like us—not a vegetarian I mean."

I smiled a little. My family as well as the Denali coven referred to ourselves as vegetarians since we only preyed on animals. Sometimes it amused us when we needed it most. "But I expect he is trying a new lifestyle?" I inquired.

Again, my old friend smiled with remorse. "Trying, but failing I'm afraid. Just before we came here, he attacked an army patrol. Apparently some troops had been sent up to Alaskan Territory to hopefully secure it for the United States one day until they are able to buy it from Russia.

"Well, anyhow, Irina and her mate… I think his name is Laurent, were hunting. Irina was trying to persuade him to hunt Grizzly bears since they're just a nuisance, but when he got a good whiff of those humans, all hell broke loose."

I did my best not to wince. I remembered Esme's first hunt and how she killed the man. Once an unstable vampire like that smelled human blood, there was no stopping them.

"Well, he killed most of them before Carmen and I got there and were able to subdue him. He ended up changing one man. He claims he's from this area too," Eleazar told me.

I looked at him suspiciously. "Really? What's his name? I might know him."

"Charles. Charles Evenson."

I froze and went rigid. Charles Evenson, Esme's husband, a vampire, living with my extended family. I turned around and stared at Esme in horror. What would he do if he found out Esme was here with me? Would he try to kill me for kissing his wife?

I groaned quietly. Why did I have to be such a fool? She was better off dead. I looked back at Eleazar who was looking highly concerned. "Carlisle, what is it?"

Ignoring him, my eyes flew to Edward who appeared to be trying to turn Tanya's invitation down politely, but getting agitated. _Edward, Esme's husband is a vampire. He abused her and now he's living with the Denali coven! _I thought to him desperately.

His eyes flew up and gazed at me with a mixture of horror and confusion on his face. "Excuse me Tanya," he said quickly and went up to us. "Excuse us," he said again to Eleazar and took me to his room.

His roomed was smaller than mine with white walls and a couch-like bed. It had a record player and a large bookshelf for his belongings, mainly his books.

"What do you mean husband?" he growled folding his arms across his chest making him look intimidating.

"I thought you knew everything about her by now," I muttered bitterly. "She was married when I changed her. She tried to commit suicide but I bit her and brought her back here. Her husband, Charles Evenson, was a solider and had been deployed to Alaska. Irina's new mate attacked him and changed him on accident. Now, he will probably know!"

Edward rubbed his temples as if they really ached. "Just ask Eleazar not to tell him."

"What about Tanya?"

Edward rolled his eyes and let out a sigh as if it was too much of an effort to talk to me. "Tanya only had one thing on her mind at the moment. That thing just happens to be me. Her thoughts torture me. She thinks about marrying me and actually having sex with me and it annoys the hell out of me!" he snarled in annoyance. "Believe me, she'll be too busy with her sick fantasies to even notice a difference."

I sighed weakly. "What are we going to tell Esme?"

"We?" Edward scoffed. "No, no, no father," he sneered. "You changed her in the first place. You're the one that dreams about making love with her. You explain the big mess you've made to her!" he snapped.

He turned around and walked out, trying hard not to dart off into the forest. He returned to Tanya and again began to speak with her, trying not to curl his lips back in disgust.

Esme made her way toward me, walking gracefully. She was still wearing that ripped white dress. I stepped back into the room and she followed. She closed the door behind her. "Carlisle, what's going on?" she asked.

The room was in pitch black, but she was very close to me. Edward had turned the light off when he left. I could feel her warm breath on the skin of my neck. It was unnecessary for us to breathe, but it came natural to us. I wanted to reach out and take her hand, but I had no idea what I might grab by mistake.

"Esme, it's your husband," I whispered finally.

I felt her freeze I had done when I learned of it. "What about him?" she breathed finally moving closer still toward me as if she were afraid.

Reaching out, I found her waist and gently rested my right hand on it. "He's a vampire now. He's living with Eleazar and Carmen."

Her breathing went ragged like I'd smacked her. "What do you mean a vampire?" she cried in dismay.

Before I could reply, her head was on my chest. She began to sob tearlessly. I felt my heart break. I wrapped my arms around her and held her against me. "Shh," I soothed. "Don't cry. Please don't cry."

"I'm scared Carlisle," she whimpered. "He'll come for me. He'll come and he'll take me away from you! He'd sleep with me as much as he likes and abuse me and I… I'd miss you."

A wave of hope washed through me. I felt my heart swell with triumph. "I'd miss you too Esme," I whispered in her ear. "I'll protect you. No matter what," I vowed.

I was overwhelmed by the truth of my own words. I would die for her. I wound give up my life for her. I would give everything to save her. I would fight for her until her final breath, human or vampire. I would never give up. She was the only thing that mattered now. Esme. My Esme.

Esme looked up at my face. Her reddish-brown eyes gazed up into mine. I gazed back, breathless from her beauty and from that look of trust. Her trusting eyes bore into mine. She was willing to put her life in my hands. She believed in me, possibly even loved me.

"I promise," I whispered.

She leaned up and kissed me again. I kissed her back, wrapping my arms tighter around her. She ran a hand through my blonde hair. Her lips moved against mine passionately as I knotted my fingers in her caramel-brown hair. I felt like nothing could ruin that moment. Even Edward couldn't make us break the kiss.

Someone knocked on the door but I ignored it. It was funny though, me being a man. I felt something different. Sex never even crossed my mind when we were kissing. She was vulnerable and so trusting of me. I could've taken her then and she would've gone along with it. Maybe it was because I was a gentleman, or I tried to be. Maybe it was because of the fact we had company in the house that could probably hear us kissing at the moment. I certainly wanted her that way. Esme didn't complain when I made no move to take things further.

"Carlisle!" Eleazar called through the wooden door. "We're going to leave. Got to get to South America but sunrise tomorrow. We're meeting with the Amazon Coven!"

I pulled away finally. I looked down at Esme who was smiling so widely I had to smile. I took her hand and we walked toward the door.

"Well good luck old friend," I said opening it. We shook hands and I kissed Tanya's and Carmen's hands again before they left.

Edward looking at us, reading both of our minds and smirking. "Well, you finally kissed her," Edward smirked. "A real kiss. Well done, dad," he jested.

I rolled my eyes and Esme giggled happily.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading! Please review!


	6. Chapter 6: The Final Tie

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight! **

**Chapter Six - ****The Final Tie**

Three days passed. Charles Evenson didn't show. Esme began to relax, but she hardly left my side when we were at home. Whenever we were alone, we'd kiss, but nothing else. I decided that I could never bring myself to betray her trust like that.

The work week started again and I had to go back to the hospital. I was barely interested in my work. I became a doctor to prove that a vampire could save lives rather than just destroy them. The nurses were warmer to me, but they didn't giggle or talk about me anymore. In a way, that was a relief.

Edward and I were talking one night while Esme was taking measurements to remodel. It was a Wednesday night.

"Edward," I whispered. "Can you do something for me?"

Edward looked up from reading a book. I couldn't make out which one but it looked older. "What are exactly do you want me to do?"

"Can you… take a vacation?" I asked unsure how to put it.

He arched an eyebrow, but read my mind and smirked. "I'll get out of your hair for the weekend so you and Esme can be alone."

I looked down, embarrassed. "Thanks," I whispered.

He smiled and got up just as Esme entered the room. She walked over toward me. Edward gave me a knowing look and went off to his room.

I was, for once, grateful to him. I owed him for this. I looked up at her. "Hello," I said smiling weakly. "How are the measurements coming?"

"Great!" she said happily and walked over to me.

I took her hand and kissed it lightly. "Good."

"Such a gentleman," she giggled and sat in my lap.

I wrapped my arms around her lovingly and held her to my chest. She snuggled into me happily. "I love you Carlisle," she whispered finally.

If my heart could beat, it would've been pounding. "I love you too, Esme."

She looked up at me and I finally realized that her eyes were black. Her throat had to be killing her. "Let's hunt," I said.

Nodding, she hopped up and headed toward the door. I looked down the hallway toward Edward's room, but made no move to invite him. I think he understood I wanted to be alone with her. I followed Esme and opened the door for her.

She was gone in a flash, darting out into the dark night. I followed her and grabbed her skirt playfully. She giggled and turned around to face me. She shoved me gently and took off again. I followed after her laughing. She slowed down and crouched like a lioness ready to attack. A young stag was grazing in an open field alone. Antlers were just sprouting from its head as he raised his head to look around.

Esme lunged forward and grabbed it before it could move. She sank her teeth into its neck and drained it.

Despite myself feeling playful, I knew better than disturb her while she drank. When she was done, I tackled her playfully from behind. She squeaked in surprise and we rolled in the grass. We both laughed happily as we rolled down a hill. When our rolling stopped I was on top of her.

She gazed up into my eyes, smiling lovingly. She pulled my head down and kissed my lips lovingly. I kissed her back the same way until she pushed me off her.

I went flying into a nearby tree. I laughed and sat up. She was already in a tree opposite of me, grinning down at me. "Catch me if you can!" she taunted and climbed in a blur higher.

Jumping to my feet, I followed her, climbing effortlessly up the tree trunk. She was sitting on the highest branch, gazing out over the forest. I climbed up beside her and stood on the branch with her. She looked up at the moon, her caramel hair swaying in a gentle breeze. Her dress was even more ripped from her climb. It had rips higher up on the skirt and some on her chest. I smiled weakly, since they revealed no parts that she would be embarrassed to show. Her eyes that were finally topaz looked toward me then back at the moon.

I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to me. She smiled widely and locked her arms around my neck. Simultaneously, we both moved to kiss the other. I didn't know how I would be able to live without her love. I loved her so much. If anything happened to her, I would have no choice but to go to the Volturi and beg for my death. I could not live without her.

She tugged on the back of my hair and moved closer still. I ran my hands along the length of her back feeling the zipper in her dress and longing to unzip it to reveal her beautiful body.

_Slow down Carlisle,_ I reminded myself. _She's married. You're kissing her and that's enough._

I was kissing her, but the monster of a man inside me wanted more. He wanted not just her love but her body to satisfy him as well. My mind was always scolding that part of me when I was with her like that.

Trying to distract myself, I pulled away and moved my lips along her jawline. She moaned in pleasure at this. I was glad I was pleasing her. I wanted to make her moan more. I wanted to do more. I moved my lips down her neck and along her clavicle. She made more sounds of pleasure as I persisted to go lower, kissing the exposed parts of her chest, then the hollow of her throat.

She was tugging on my hair more roughly now. "Oh God Carlisle," she breathed and hitched one leg around my waist.

My breathing went shallow. The man took over and pulled her so both legs were wrapped around me. My hands found the zipper on her back and slowly began to pull down exposing the beautiful pale skin of her back.

Then I froze and realized what I was doing. Growling at myself, I zipped her dress back up and gently set her down, angry with myself. She looked up at me, her topaz eyes looking pained. She looked down and smoothed out the skirt of her dress. "I… I'm sorry."

The pain in my heart returned. "It's not your fault. Don't be sorry," I whispered pulling her face up gently by her chin. I stroked her cheek with my right thumb. "It's my fault… I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression… I sort of lost control…"

She smiled weakly. "It's okay."

_Dammit Carlisle. Damn you to hell! You idiot! You foul demon! She's married and she has more feelings for you than she should. You have more feelings for her than you should! _I thought at myself angrily.

"Let's go home," she suggested.

"Home," I whispered. Home with beds and couches and chairs and all things that invited more of that. I wished I could control myself and be with her without feeling like that.

With the weekend fast approaching, I began to pray. I didn't deserve to be able to pray being what I was, but I begged God for forgiveness. If I did lose control during the weekend with Esme, I begged that he would forgive me. Two rules I would be breaking—Thou shall not commit adultery, and Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's wife.

Friday night, Edward left as I had wanted. Esme and I were home alone, finally. I came home from work late. Edward gone, his car not in the driveway. I put my own Ford in park and sat in the driver's seat for a moment going over what I had planned in my mind.

I braced myself for what I might face. Before I came home, I went and bought Esme some new clothes since the dress she'd been wearing since she was changed badly needed replaced. I bought her another white dress, a blue one, a red one, and black, lace nightgown. I hope she'd understand when she saw the nightgown.

Taking a deep breath, I grabbed her new clothes and hopped out of my car. I walked bravely up the door and went inside. We never locked our door since we were vampires and could handle and burglar. By the smell of it, Esme was in the living room, I put her new clothes in my bedroom… Well our bedroom I guess, and went out to greet her.

Esme had cans of paint lined up in a row. The furniture was covered with newspaper and other old fabrics. I smiled at her determination. "Having fun?" I teased.

She looked up at my voice and smiled widely. "In fact I am," she said and ran up to me in a blur. She kissed my lips quickly in greeting then turned back to her paint.

"Do you need help?" I inquired.

"Please!" she said. "You might want to change so you don't get your good clothes messy though," she said looking at my black trousers and white button-down shirt.

I smiled slyly and retreated to my room to change. I closed the door behind me and shrugged out of my shirt and pants leaving me in my boxers. I rummaged around in my dresser and put on a pair of khaki shorts and an old white t-shirt to match. I slipped off my good work shoes and didn't know what else to put on, so I put on my shoes that were pretty bashed up since I used them for hunting.

It was difficult for me to take my eyes off the lace as I left the room to return to Esme. She was opening a can of paint with her bare hands easily. I went over and got a brush. Deciding to mess with her and began to pretend that I was painting on her cheek, moving the brush up and down over her skin.

Esme giggled. "Paint the walls Carlisle, not me!"

I chuckled. "But you're much more interesting," I persisted.

Esme dipped her brush in the paint and brushed it down the ridge of my nose, making it a light beige color. "Oops," she giggled.

I dipped mine in too and painted her nose and cheeks the same color. She squealed in surprise and painted over my lips. I laughed and took the whole can and splashed some on her, splattering her across her chest and her face. She screamed happily. "Carlisle!"

Grabbing a bed sheet that had been covering a table. I moved closer. "Let me clean that off!" I teased and tried to wipe it away. She laughed and got up and ran. I followed her, holding the sheet in one hand and paint can in the other.

I cornered her in the kitchen. Both of us were laughing hysterically as I tried to splash more paint on her. She ran up and grabbed the can. We struggled over it before she turned it upside down above my head. Paint rained down all around me coating me in it. I wiped it away from my eyes so I could see out of them. Esme was laughing so hard she fell over.

Growling playfully, I got down on top of her and kissed her lips making them beige. "Eww!" she giggled. "Get off me you crazy person!"

I laughed and rolled off her. She got up and ran to the bathroom that had the shower in it. I ran after her and stopped the door before she could close it on me. She smiled widely and pulled me in with her before shutting the door behind us. Her hands were at my waist, un-tucking my white shirt from my pants and slipping it off over my head. I wrapped my arms around her and unzipped her dress quickly not thinking about anything else.

Her dress fell to the floor and she was on me quickly, her legs hitched around my hips, holding herself to me. I kissed her deeply wanting to show her how much I loved her. Her hands moved down to my shorts. I helped her slip them off and got into the shower. We wore only our undergarments then as I turned on the water.

Our lips moved together as one as our bodies intertwined. The pain trickled down our bodies as I stood in the shower holding her close and loving her to my best ability. Nothing else mattered. Our undergarments were off and strewn all over the floor along with our clothes.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading! Hope you enjoyed. This chapter couldn't be avoided, and I loved writing it! :D Please review!


	7. Chapter 7: Appearances

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Seven - Appearances**

The next morning, the sun rose, slanting bright rays through the windows in the hallway, coming into my room lighting it briefly. Esme was lying beside me, her head resting on my chest, her eyes closed, but I knew she wasn't asleep.

The bed sheets were wrapped around us at the waist, the comforter on the floor. Esme's chest was hidden at my side, but I didn't care if I couldn't see. She was beautiful nevertheless.

"Esme," I breathed happily.

Her eyes fluttered opened and she looked up at me. "Carlisle," she whispered and kissed my chest happily. "I love you."

I smiled widely. "I love you too." I did love her, but there was a hole in my chest as I realized what I'd done. I gently moved her off my chest and sat up in bed. I ran a hand through my hair and rubbed my temples like Edward does.

Esme sat up beside me, exposing herself. "Carlisle, what's wrong?" she asked sadly. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked.

I growled. "No! You didn't okay? It's not your fault! It's never your fault!" I snarled at her. I got up and pulled my shorts on again. I ran outside and out the door. I knew Esme would be upset with me, but I was too angry at myself to be around her. I didn't want to take out my anger on her.

Running through the forest at top speed, everything blurred around me. I killed five deer and drained them all out of fury. The extra blood made my throat burn even more. I punched a few trees down and screamed in anger.

I stopped as I saw a figure emerge from the trees nearby. At first, I thought it was Edward, then I knew it wasn't him. He smelled like the Denali vampires. I knew who he was before he spoke. He was taller than I but had jet-black hair, pale skin and red eyes. His lips were curled back in a snarl of fury.

"You're Charles Evenson," I whispered. Fury welled up inside me. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to rip his head off and burn him. No, I didn't want to kill him that quick. I wanted to torture him first. Rip him apart limb from limb.

"Who are you?" he snarled stalking toward me.

"My name is Carlisle Cullen," I growled back. I debated quickly in my head whether to tell him about my relationship with his wife or not.

"Carlisle?" a voice called from nearby making me freeze. That voice belonged to none other than Esme.

"ESME!" Charles snarled and ran forward.

I stepped in his way and grabbed him by the throat. Charles snarled and punched me in the chin cracking my neck. I hissed but didn't let that stop me. I continued to hold him back. Esme's scent swirled around me.

"CARLISLE!" Esme screamed.

Charles broke away from me and ran over to her. He smacked her so hard she fell down.

I let out a snarl of rage and blindsided him. I tore his arm off making him snarl. Esme screamed in terror as his arm went flying behind me. I bent down and sank my teeth into his throat and tore a chunk from his porcelain-like skin.

Charles punched me in my once-cracked cheek, cracking it again. I rolled off him, one hand on my cracked face. Esme screamed.

I tried to look up, but it hurt. Finally, my cheek went back to normal and I sat up.

Esme was in her new blue dress and was pinned up against a tree. Charles was already trying to get her dress of. I screamed in rage and grabbed him by the throat and threw him away from her and through a tree.

He hissed and jumped to his feet. He ran toward me, but out of nowhere, another figure blindsided him. I recognized Edward punching him in the nose so it flew off. "How do you like that you son of a bitch?" he snarled at him.

Charles kicked him in the chest sending my son flying. He grabbed his nose and his arm and ran for it. Edward snarled and went to chase him, but I stopped him. "Let him go. We'll get him one day."

I turned to Esme who was trembling in fear. The sun finally rose so it was completely above the horizon. Our skin sparkled in the morning light. I suggested we got out of the open and Edward grunted in agreement. I turned to Esme and reached for her hand but she moved away and followed Edward. I sighed and followed her sadly.

Sunday came and Charles continued to make appearances. Edward and I ran ourselves ragged trying to keep up patrols. Esme wanted to help, but Edward and I both agreed it was too dangerous. She would pout and go to my room.

Edward and I agreed that he would take the dayshift and I the night since I had work during the weekdays. Esme and I were still distant. I didn't think she forgave me for yelling at her Saturday morning. I tried to apologize between my shifts, but she would just shake her head sadly.

One night, I neglected my duties and went back to the house. I came inside to find Esme in her black nightgown, sitting on the counter. She smiled weakly when she saw me.

"I hope you weren't waiting for Edward," I said.

She smiled ruefully. "No. He's out hunting anyway."

I went up to her and kissed her lips before she could say anything. I pulled away, sadly. "Sorry," I whispered. I was being so rude lately.

Esme smiled weakly. "It's okay…"

"I wasn't mad at you that morning. I was mad at myself. I felt horrible for doing that to you," I confided finally. Only Edward had known the truth because he could read my mind.

Esme's small smiled faded. "You regret sleeping with me? Like you don't want me that way anymore?"

"No," I replied truthfully. I'd never imagined that she would conclude that was why I had been angry. "If you're worried that I didn't enjoy myself, you would be wrong. Very, very wrong. Esme," I said to her, pulling her face up to mine. "I love you with all my heart. I'll do anything to prove that to you."

Esme looked into my eyes for a moment, before dropping her gaze to the lace of her dress. I felt like she didn't believe me.

"Esme," I whispered making her look up. I pulled her off the counter so she stood on the floor. I took her hand and got down on one knee. She gasped knowing my question before I asked her. "Esme, I love you so much. I would be honored if you would even consider this, but will you marry me?"

Esme stared at me, her eyes wide. "Yes! Yes of course!" she squealed happily and got down on her knees with me, throwing her arms around my neck. "Oh Carlisle!"

I wrapped my arms around her tightly and held her to me. I heard the door open and pulled away to see Edward walking in the kitchen door that led up from the driveway. "I guess I'll take the night shift tonight," he muttered and went toward the living room to use the back door that led directly into the forest. "Congratulations old man," he whispered as he past me.

I couldn't help but smile widely at the jeer and hold Esme closer.

As Edward left us, Esme pulled away. "We'll have to wait until after we get rid of Charles, but I'm so happy!" she said smiling.

I smiled back. "I'll get you the biggest, grandest ring I can find. One that is almost as beautiful as you."

She smiled sheepishly. "You don't have to."

"I want to," I whispered and kissed her lips.

She kissed me back passionately, running her fingers through my hair. I ran my hands down the length of her back holding her closer. I knew it wouldn't be comfortable for her on the floor, so I hitched her legs around my waist and stood up. I intended to go to the bedroom, but we just couldn't make it that far. I ended up laying her down on the kitchen table and lying on top of her.

I was content being that close, but Esme wasn't. He persisted to pull me closer, kissing my lips hungrily. She tried to slip my shirt off, and I helped her. Once it was off, she paused and ran her delicate hands down the skin of my chest making me let out a soft moan.

Realizing this wasn't comfortable either, I slid off the table, not breaking the kiss with Esme and darted to the bedroom eagerly.

I set her down on the bed. She started to unbutton my trousers. I decided to let her do this on her own seeing what she had in mind. She unzipped them and let them drop to my ankles. She did the same to my boxers.

She tried not to look but I smiled when she cast a few quick glances, then proceeded to take off the lace nightgown. I helped her, getting impatient with her slow undressing. My eagerness ended up ripping the nightgown off her body and falling with her back onto the bed to make my love to her.

During the night, things didn't go as I'd planned. Esme and I made love, but right in the middle, the bedroom door flew off its hinges, nearly taking my head off. I ducked just in time, banging Esme in the head. I apologized quickly and got off her. I turned preparing to scold Edward for disturbing us, but a thought ran through my head.

One, Edward would never break the door down. Two, he was supposed to be guarding the perimeter. Three, what would be so important he needed to talk to us at that moment?

It wasn't Edward. Charles Evenson stalked through the door making Esme scream in surprise. I saw her jump off the bed from the corner of my eye and pull one of her dresses on. She then ran to stand beside me at vampire speed.

Growling, Charles made his way forward. "Get away from my wife you lowlife son of a bitch!" he snarled at me.

I growled back. "Stay away from my fiancée," I retorted.

Charles let out an angry hiss. "She's my wife!"

"Not anymore!"

Charles lunged toward me. I grabbed him by the throat and tried to flip him, but he'd already secured both his hands around my own. I felt and heard my neck crack as everything faded away, including Esme's scream…

A/N: Hehehe, I love cliff-hangers. Well, atleast I love writing them. XD Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading. Please review!


	8. Chapter 8: Commitments

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Eight - Commitments**

When I woke, Edward was leaning over me, his topaz eyes wide with worry. I heard Esme scream and I saw her fall on top of me, encircling me in a hug. "Oh Carlisle, I'm so sorry! This is all my fault! I thought you were dead!"

I looked around and realized what had happened. Charles and beheaded me and ultimately been alone with Esme until sunrise when Edward would return.

"No, no Esme," I whispered. "I'm sorry. I should've been stronger."

Esme looked up at me, pain her eyes. "Carlisle, you are the most wonderful man I have ever met. You're amazing and strong enough for me."

"He… He raped you didn't he?" I whispered not knowing how else I could phrase it.

Esme looked down. "It… it doesn't matter," she whispered.

"Yes it does!" I snapped. It came out harsher than I meant it to. Esme flinched like I'd smacked her. "I'm sorry," I whispered.

Esme sighed.

I growled quietly. I had to learn to control my stupid temper. "Thanks," I said to Edward. "For putting my head back on."

Edward nodded. "Charles is dead. Will you help me take him outside so we can burn him?" he asked.

I sighed and nodded. I unsteadily rose to my feet to follow him when Esme grabbed my hand. "I still love you," she whispered.

Smiling weakly, I helped Edward pick up the decapitated Charles and carry him to the backyard that faced the woods. We laid him out and burned him. The two of us sat in the grass and stared into the dancing flames.

"Does Esme really love me?" I whispered finally. I knew Edward could read her mind. I wanted to know.

Edward sighed. "First you change me, now you're asking me to invade people's privacy?"

I felt the hole in my chest I felt the morning Esme and I made love the first time. "Please Edward."

He sighed and was silent for a moment as he picked through her mind. Then he looked away from the flames to me. "She is hopelessly in love with you, but I agree with her when I say that you need to learn how to control your temper. But she does love you more than anything. She, quote, 'thinks you're incomparable to any other man she's ever met. You're genuinely thoughtful and you always seemed to be interesting in what she is saying' and she loves that."

I smiled widely. "Really?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "Do you think that I'm lying or do you suspect my gift has gone haywire?" he muttered.

I sighed. "Sorry. I was only asking, no need to be rude."

Edward was right. Esme did love me that much. I bought her the largest diamond ring I could find and she fussed over it, saying I spent too much, but when I put it on her finger, she never took it off. I wanted to give her something even greater than that for my wedding gift to her. I wanted us to have a wonderful honeymoon as well.

I had been browsing through all the magazines I could get my hands on. I tried to think of something so grand Esme would be dumbstruck when she saw it. I spoke with Edward when we were alone to try and get his theories on what would be best. He suggested somewhere where we could spend our honeymoon like a house or a mansion or something of that nature. That would've been wonderful, but I felt like Esme deserved more.

When I returned home on a Friday night, Esme was in the kitchen in a new black lace nightgown since I'd ripped her previous one of my impatience. She was sitting on the counter, her legs crossed looking very inviting. Just the way she looked at me set me off. She looked better than she did the night I proposed.

Setting my briefcase on the table, I went over to her and wrapped my arms around her waist. "Esme, you look stunning," I breathed against the smooth porcelain-colored face.

Esme smiled widely, looking like an angel in my arms. "Thank you. You don't look bad yourself, doctor," she said. The inviting way she said the word "doctor" made me want to rip that dress off her and take her right there on the counter.

I let out a small groan. "Don't talk like that if you want to do anything else besides go to the bedroom," I whispered, nibbling on her ear softly, not wanting my extremely strong teeth to bite through the seemingly strong skin. Vampire teeth could cut effortlessly through vampire skin even.

She giggled and gently shoved my head away. I moved down to kissing her chest. A lot of skin was showing, but then again, most was still hiding underneath that cursed black satin and lace. I moved my hands up and down her sides, along the slender curves of her body.

I felt her own hands slide along the buttons in my shirt, carefully and painstakingly unbuttoning each one. When she was finished, I slipped if off and threw it carelessly on the table with my briefcase. She smiled and got down from the counter. She ran her hands around my pants-line teasingly. I let out a warning growl that my patience was running thin. She just let out a giggle of mirth and unbuttoned my pants and undid the zipper.

Two steps later, I was closer than I had been to her and out of the confides of my trousers. Esme took my hand and led me to the bedroom still wearing that damn black dress. She led me inside and closed the door. I still had my boxers on as she pushed me down on the bed. She sat on top of me and ran her hands down my chest slowly, tracing the lines in it. I felt my boxers begin to rise.

Esme just smiled and began to finally slip her dress off. I moved my hands up to caress her sides, but she stopped me as she slipped the dress completely off. She did the same to my boxers and ran her hands along my manhood tenderly. Just the touch of her hands made me moan.

I was scarcely aware of hearing Edward enter the house through the kitchen. Before I lost all my senses of the things around me to focus on loving Esme, I remembered wondering what Edward would make of my clothes littered all over the kitchen floor.

I got up early the next morning. Esme didn't object as I dressed casually while she lay in bed watching my every move with loving eyes. As I slipped a black shirt over my head, I made my way over to. She smiled widely and pulled me so I was sitting on top of her. "Do you have to leave?" she whined.

Smiling, I kissed her forehead. "I'm afraid so my love."

Esme pouted and played with my hair. "Hurry back," she finally submitted.

I smiled and got off her and left our room. I closed the door behind me and went to the kitchen. My shirt and pants were still thrown where we had thrown them the previous night. My shirt still covered my dark brown briefcase carelessly. Picking up my garments, I took them to our unofficial laundry room. Since vampires didn't sweat or produce any human oils, our clothes just needed to be ironed and replaced in the closets.

As I entered our laundry room, one of Edward's paintings stood on the opposite wall. Edward used to paint in his spare time, but hasn't in a long while. It was a beautifully done scene of an island beach. Water was seemed to be lapping at the sand in the painting as a palm branch swayed in the wind. A small beach house was located further down the shore right next to the ocean.

It was then I knew what I give Esme as a wedding present. It was then I got the wonderful idea of where we would spend our honeymoon. I knew what I had to do. I would buy Esme an island.

At work, I asked some of the nurses if they knew where I could buy one. They referred me to a man named Holling who sold real-estate in town. We spoke over the phone and I agreed to buy an island off the coast of Brazil. He claimed it was a small island with a small beach house already built on it. It had a spectacular view of the ocean and was a wonderful place to be year-round.

I bought the island quickly and he agreed to mail me the deeds and the directions before the wedding. As I prepared our honeymoon, I realized that our wedding was less than a week away. Esme was planning it herself. I smiled to myself at the thought that my wedding was less than a week away. I had informed my nurses that I would be taking a short vacation for my honeymoon. They all seemed to be crestfallen at this.

Late that night, I arrived home. Esme was not waiting for me in her sexy dress. Instead, she was in the living room in my chair. She was staring at the floor in horror, our telephone crushed in her hands.

"Esme?" I asked urgently speeding over to her. "What's wrong?"

"Oh Carlisle," she whispered, a sob hinting in her voice. "It's my mother… She's dead."

I stared at her. I wasn't there for my mother's death. I had moved out of London, hating myself for what I was—a monster. I never knew when or where my father and mother died though I missed them sometimes. Esme was alive and living in the same state even.

"I'm… I'm so sorry Esme," I whispered, wrapping my arms around her comfortingly letting her sob tearlessly in my chest. "When is the funeral?"

"I don't know! I'm not inviting. I disgraced the family by leaving Charles for you and apparently they knew everything and now I'm out of the family," she cried.

I knelt there holding her close realizing how much she sacrificed for me—her mortality, her soul, her life, and her family. "Esme… I love you," was the only thing I could think of to say.

She looked up and smiled weakly. "I know Carlisle."

"I've bought you an island," I blurted out for no apparent reason.

She looked up at me with wide eyes. "You did what?"

I looked down. "It's my wedding gift to you—an island," I repeated.

Esme sat there for a moment and stared at the floor. "How much did it cost?"

I couldn't remember the exact amount, so I looked away. "A lot," I whispered. "But I'm rich. It doesn't matter—"

"Yes it does!" Esme snapped. "It most certainly does if you spend all your life savings on me! Carlisle, you've already bought me so much. I don't want to take advantage of you."

I was getting angrier with every word. I couldn't believe she thought she was taking advantage of me. "What do you mean taking advantage of me?"

Esme sighed. "I know you love me, and I love you too, but I don't want you to show your love by buying me things. I just want you," she said.

I smiled a little, calming down. "I want to buy you big things and let you have me at the same time. It's big, it's beautiful, it's off the coast of Brazil and no one will bother us for a month… And I've already purchased it, so we might as well make the best of it."

Esme smiled weakly. "Okay," she whispered finally. She seemed to have forgotten about her mother. "I love you," she said again and kissed my lips.

The week flew by. Before I knew it, it was Friday, the day of the wedding. Esme had refused to be with me the night before so I wouldn't be tempted to sleep with her. She left went to a hotel to prepare leaving Edward and me alone. Edward and I had a bit of a bachelor party. We hunted as much as we could so we could be sustained for a while. Edward said he'd head up to Denali and stay with them for a while.

We headed back to the house around seven o'clock in the morning. The phone was ringing as we stepped in the door. I darted over to answer it. "Hello?" I asked almost in a whisper into the phone.

"Morning," Esme's voice sounded from the other end. "Are you ready for this?"

"Yes and no," I replied smiling weakly.

"I'm nervous too," she admitted. "I'll see you at the chapel."

"I'll be waiting at the altar," I responded happily.

"I'll be the one in white," she giggled.

We said our good-byes and hung up. I went to my room to put on my tuxedo. Edward had gone to his room to change as well. He was going to be my best man in the wedding. I put the suit on quickly before leaving the room to put on my dress shoes in the living room. Edward was already there, his shoes on. He sat on the couch staring at the floor. He looked up as he heard my footsteps.

"Carlisle," he said, his voice sounding hoarse. "I don't want you to take this the wrong way but… I envy you Carlisle. I have envied you for almost all this time I've known you… I envied your control… your wisdom… your strength… Now… now you have something I want—someone to spend eternity with… You have a lover that loves you so much… I know, I can hear her thoughts… I'm happy for you… I just hope that one day… I could be as lucky as you."  
>I listened thoughtfully and smiled. I went over and sat beside him. I patted him on the back affectionately. "Edward… There is one thing I don't have, that you have given me."<p>

He looked up. He knew my thoughts but he pretended to wait expectantly for me to continue.

"You're presence alone is comforting. You have given me the son I could never have. I thank you for that. Esme will think of you as her son as well and I hope you won't mind."

Edward smiled. "I would never mind having a wonderful mother and father."

After I got my shoes on, it was about 8 o'clock which meant there was an hour until the wedding. I tried to imagine what Esme was doing, probably putting her dress on. I hadn't seen her dress yet, but I gave her three hundred dollars to go buy something beautiful.

About after an hour of reading, Edward and I got up. Deciding to go fancy, I had rented a car that Esme and I would use to drive to a special place Edward and I had arranged. The car was knew and streamline, unlike my Ford truck. It was a Mercedes Benz with the hood ornament sticking up like a symbol of wealth. Edward and I exchanged a glance. The two of us did enjoy car collecting. I got in the driver's side and Edward the passenger's. We drove to the nearest chapel, where we'd arrange for a minister to carry out the marriage.

When we arrived, my Ford that Esme had borrowed was parked in the chapel parking lot. I pulled it and got out. The minister greeted us outside.

"Hello Dr. Carlisle!" he greeted me, giving me a firm handshake. I scarcely wondered if he knew how cold my hand was and if he knew how warm his hand was to me. Edward hung back. He still wasn't good with humans.

"Hello Father," I replied reverently. "My bride is inside then I presume?"

"Yes, and if I may, she looks beautiful," he said and led me inside.

Edward and I went up to the altar and waited. The minister stood in the center, a book in his hands that probably contained his cues. I looked over at Edward nervously. I was extremely nervous, but tried not to show it.

_Edward,_ I thought urgently. _Is she nearly ready?_

Edward made a huge effort to look from the floor to the ceiling, moving his entire head in the effort. I knew this meant yes.

_Does she have cold feet?_ I asked dreading the answer was yes.

He simply looked from the right side of the chapel to the left with meant no.

I let out a relieved sigh as the organ player began to play the tune that signaled Esme was ready. She came down the aisle gracefully. The train of her dress was trailing feet behind her as she walked. Her veil was down, covering her flawless face. The dress was long-sleeved but cut short around the chest exposing most of the skin, but also teasing me, thinking I would see everything when still a great deal was covered.

The minister cleared his throat and said the words. We made our vows and we kissed. We took a few pictures and I carried her out to the Mercedes and put her in the passenger's seat. Edward got in my Ford and I drove off toward a small cabin in the woods…

When we got there, we got out of the car. I picked her up and ran her across the country. It all went by quickly because of my speed, but took three hours maybe to reach Brazil. There, I had a boat waiting for us. I drove the boat, following the directions, toward the island. The sun was setting as the silhouette of my wedding gift to my beloved appeared on the horizon.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed. The next chapter is all about the honeymoon! Thanks for reading, and please review! :D


	9. Chapter 9: Honeymooning

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Nine - ****Honeymooning**

Esme's mouth dropped as I pulled into the small dock there. I got out gingerly and offered her my hand. She took it, still in her wedding dress. She smiled at the large house. "Carlisle… this is… better than I expected! This is wonderful!"

"Mrs. Cullen, welcome to Isle Esme," I said motioning to the island with my hand.

Esme looked at me and threw her arms around me. "I love you Carlisle," she whispered. I smiled and picked her up, hitching her legs around my hips. I carried her into the house. There were several different bedrooms, the main, white bedroom and a smaller blue bedroom. It also had the biggest shower I'd ever seen. It was a new kind of décor for me—the openness. Most of the walls were composed of windows. I didn't really care since no one could see us here. It felt good to be able to live without hiding what I was from the world.

I carried Esme into the white bedroom and set her down before darting back to the boat to get our luggage. When I returned, Esme had opened one of the windows. She was staring out at the waves lapping against the shore.

Setting the luggage down, I came up beside her. "It's beautiful isn't it?" I whispered.

"Mmm," she hummed in response and rested against me. "It's so peaceful here. I'm not used to it," she teased.

I smiled. "Well, over the next month, you'll have plenty of time to enjoy yourself," I promised.

She smiled widely and kissed my lips quickly before turning back toward the beautiful view. I kissed her neck tenderly. "Would you like to go for a swim?" I breathed against the skin of her neck.

She squirmed happily. "I thought you'd never ask!" she teased and darted away from me, not taking off her dress. She waded into the water, soaking her beautiful white wedding gown. I took off my suit but left my trousers and white button-down shirt on, taking off my shoes in socks before following her.

She was spinning around the water, giggling like a school girl. When she saw I had joined her, the first thing she did was splash me so my entire chest was soaked. I laughed and tried to grab her, but she squealed happily and jumped out of my range and floated into deeper water. I growled playfully and followed.

She let out a shriek of delight and swam farther out, I followed close behind. I grabbed her foot and she giggled and tried to kick me. I just pulled her closer so we treaded water before each other. We were about twenty feet from shore. I wondered if I could be fast enough to slip her dress off, swim back to shore to set in on the beach then come back in a matter of seconds.

As if she read my mind, I felt her nimble hands undoing my pants. Chuckling, I unzipped her dress in the back and helped her slip it off. We both went back to the beach and removed the rest of our garments. Esme was the first to retreat to the water as I made sure the high tide wouldn't wash anything away. Then, I dove back into the water after her.

Esme had disappeared under the surface. She was toward the bottom of a large pool, grinning at me. We could've stayed under water for the whole night since we didn't have to breathe, but it was very uncomfortable.

I swam down toward her and she drifted away teasingly. I gave her a look before returning to the surface. She followed and came up about ten feet away. "What's the matter? Can't catch me?" she taunted.

"It's not fair," I protested. "You're a better swimmer."

She just laughed. "You gotta catch me if you want to love me, Carlisle," she replied in a singsong voice before diving under the water again.

I pouted for a minute at the surface. The sun was gone now, the stars just emerging. The sky was an odd shade of grayish-blue—twilight at last.

Finally deciding I wanted Esme more than I was willing to wait until she gave up, I went back underwater. Esme was waiting for me. I swam over and she avoided me like she'd been practicing. After about a minute, I grabbed her arm and pulled her toward me. We swam up to the surface where she giggled.

I smiled and ran my hands up and down her sides. I caressed her cheek with my thumb and looked into her soft topaz eyes. She gazed back, her smile disappearing. She looked like she wanted to cry. Concerned, I wrapped my arms around her. "What is it?"

"Carlisle…" she whispered. "I don't want to lose you."

"You won't have to," I promise. "I will always be with you. We have the rest of eternity."

She pulled away and looked up. "We belong together… forever," she whispered.

I smiled and nodded. "Forever and always," I whispered back and kissed her lips.

She kissed me back, locking her arms around my neck. I took her toward the shore so I could be more comfortable. We lay on the beach kissing each other passionately and making love with the other. At that moment, it wasn't about the sex; it was about the beautiful love we were making. I could've stayed like that forever, with her. It hadn't become just a desire anymore; it was a need. I needed to love her. I needed to show that I loved her. I was her husband now and I could profess that love without guilt. She was mine and I was hers. Forever.

Over the next few days, things went along well. Esme and I swam in the ocean, we hunted a few animals on the island, we watched some movies, and most of all, spent a lot of time in the bedroom. Esme had purchased, without my knowledge (though it was a pleasant surprise), about twenty lingerie outfits. My favorite was the French lingerie which barely covered anything.

One night, or morning I guess (it was 2 AM) I was lying in bed with Esme. We had just finished making love and we were talking when the phone rang.

Confused, I got up to answer it. "Hello?" I whispered into the phone.

"Carlisle?" a familiar voice asked from the other end. "Is that really you?"

"Aro?" I asked in surprise, hearing the voice of my old friend from the Volturi.

"Carlisle!" he exclaimed. "Good Lord! I called your house, Edward was there, he said you were on your honeymoon! I had no idea you were getting married. You should've told us—Caius and Marcus seemed offended when I told them the news! Who's the lucky woman?"

I smiled widely. "Her name is Esme," I said shooting Esme a brief glace. I covered one end of the phone with my hand. "Old friends," I explained in a whisper.

She smiled and nodded. She got up and put a robe on, making me frown slightly, before leaving the room so we could talk.

"Esme; beautiful name," Aro complemented, "such a lucky woman."

I smiled. "No, I think I'm the lucky one Aro. She's… she's everything I want."

Aro laughed quietly. "You've been alone too long my friend."

I chuckled. "I'm perfectly happy."

"Well, if you do not mind, I was hoping that you and your bride could come for a visit? I mean I would like to give you a wedding gift of my own for you lovely bride. I also would not mind seeing my vegetarian friend again," he teased.

I smiled. "I'll see if we can. We're on an island right now, but I'm sure we'll be able to come to Volterra if we can. I would not mind seeing my old friends."

The idea of going to Italy to visit old friends of mine intrigued Esme greatly. She said she was both frightened and excited to meet these strange vampires. We spent one more week at Isle Esme before packing our things and catching a plane to Italy. The airport was crowded, as usual. Humans were everywhere, everyone speaking in fluent Portuguese, including me.

Esme held her breath almost the entire time. I kept my arm firmly around her waist to hold her if she lost control. I hoped that people would not notice her eyes that were still a beautiful mixture of crimson and topaz.

It took a good hour before we were able to board the plane. Esme was going through hell. Vampires didn't need to breathe, but as I said before, it is quite uncomfortable. Esme would squeeze my hand a lot, her newborn strength sometimes accidently cracking my fingers, making her gasp, then wince as the scent of all the blood around her made her throat ignite. I too was suffering. The scent of human blood, no matter how immune to it I believed I was, seemed overpowering. I felt like someone had shoved a white-hot branding iron down on my throat. Finally, I joined her in holding my breath.

Finally, as we got on the plane, we could breathe again. Surprisingly, there were not many people on their way to Venice, Italy, which was where the plane would land. Esme and I talked for a bit. She rested her head on my shoulder and played with my shirt, hair and even my pants. I chuckled and let her, but warned her that we were still in public. She would just pout for three seconds before continuing.

We had to pretend to sleep since it took about two days to fly there. Not wanting to rouse suspicion that we were… well not human, Esme and I both took turns pretending to be asleep. When I would pretend, Esme would giggle and make fun of how I looked in my ear, which didn't help, usually making me laugh.

When we finally were on the ground again, Esme and I walked far enough away from humans, before running at vampire speed toward Volterra. I led her to hills outside Volterra. There were the ruins of an ancient Church there, looking rundown.

Esme shot me a confused look. "You'll see," I promised.

Sunlight peeked out from behind a cloud making us both sparkle. I smiled and took off toward the door of the old Church. I opened the door for her and held it open.

Esme giggled. "Such a gentleman," she said and went inside. I followed her, then took the lead. I knew that some of the new vampires here would not know me, therefore, might attack us. I led her down a long dark corridor. Light appeared at the end of it. More sunlight appeared through slits in the roof as we entered the Volturi castle from the tunnel. From here, we came into a large reception room. A human woman sat at a desk and looked up. "Welcome to the Volturi Castle!" she said in a cheerful voice.

Esme looked at me, confused. "She's human," she whispered.

"I know," I replied in a whisper. "She probably hopes that one day they will change her, but that rarely happens."

"Does she know that they'll… kill her?" Esme asked, edging closer to me.

"I don't know. I'm not Edward."

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, two vampires appeared out of the shadows. One was a woman. She was tall and so beautiful, I stared at her for a moment before looking away before Esme could notice. She had crimson eyes, like Esme's were when she was a newborn, only this woman had long, waist-length mahogany hair. The other was a young girl, about 12 or 13. This confused me. The Volturi made the law that you could not have immortal children. She had pale brown, almost blonde hair like my own and red eyes. She stared at me for a moment before glancing at the older woman.

"Who are you?" the child asked.

I looked at Esme who was standing more behind me than beside me now. "My name is Carlisle. I am here to see Aro. He is an old friend of mine."  
>The girl's eyes widened in surprise. "So you are the famous Carlisle Cullen. Aro said we should be expecting you. Heidi, go inform Aro that Carlisle is here with his wife," the girl said shooting a kind glance at Esme.<p>

The woman with red hair darted off down another long corridor.

"Come," the girl said. "My name is Jane, by the way."

I took Esme's hand and held it tightly, following Jane down the dark corridor. We finally reached an open space. There were three throne chairs in a row. In the center, there was a dip in the floor. In the center, was a drain covered by iron bars. I remembered that this was where they would dump the drained bodies of their human prey.

"Wait here," Jane instructed before walking up the steps and disappearing behind the throne chairs.

"Carlisle… are you sure this is a good idea?" Esme whispered.

"Don't worry," I assured her. "I would trust Aro with my life."

As soon as I said that, a man appeared from behind the center throne chair. He had shoulder-length jet-black hair and perfect features. He moved gracefully down the steps as if he were floating. His eyes were red with an overlying milky film. He looked like he was transformed in his mid-twenties. His skin seemed almost translucent from his years of sitting on his throne.

"Carlisle," he said in a sweet voice. He smiled from cheek to cheek and took my hand, pulling it away from Esme's and shook it. I knew that at that moment, he was reading every thought I'd ever had.

"Aro," I said returning the smile. "This is my wife, Esme."

Aro led go of my hand and took Esme's. He kissed it politely making her smile. "_Lei è così bella!_" he exclaimed in Italian, then translated it for Esme to hear. "She is so beautiful!"

"Yes, and she's mine," I reminded him with a wry grin.

Aro laughed. "Carlisle, I wouldn't dream of that. You know Cia would behead me!" he teased.

Two more men appeared from behind the chairs. One on the right, the other on the left chair. The man on the left, was just as graceful as Aro. His hair was also shoulder-length like Aro's, but in contrast, to Aro's jet-black hair, his was snow-white. His white skin was just as translucent as Aro's and he appeared to be in his forties. The man on the right was not as graceful as the others, but had an average built like the others. He too had shoulder-length black hair, but his white skin looked almost papery. He also appeared to be the youngest of the three.

"Esme," Aro said kindly. "This," he said motioning to the man with white hair, "is one of my joint-leaders, Caius. And this," he said motioning to the youngest man, "is Marcus, another joint-leader. We are the original members of the Volturi."

A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed. In the next Chapter, we'll see that their visit doesn't exactly go as planned.


	10. Chapter 10: Volturi

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Ten - ****Volturi**

Caius and Marcus both complemented Esme and kissed her hand, but they were not as welcoming as Aro. Caius seemed bored and uninterested. Marcus just looked at her sadly, but also in a kind way. He looked at me as if he envied me but managed a weak smile before retreating to his throne chair.

I felt bad for Marcus. His mate, and Aro's sister, Didyme, had been killed under mysterious circumstances. Aro did everything he could to find the murderer, but was unsuccessful. I had been part of the search parties of Didyme's killer. Marcus had never been the same once his beloved was gone. Their bond was the closest in the Volturi. They were inseparable and, if any of the members of the Volturi were truly in love, it was them. I wondered if I would be able to cope if Esme were killed…

Aro led us back to where most of their rooms were. Despite the fact that vampires didn't sleep, there were beds in a few of them, most likely for the lovers in the Volturi. Aro showed us to our room that we would be staying in. It was one of the nicer rooms. There were thick cinderblocks that lined the walls. It had a bookshelf on one side full of my favorite novels. On another wall, there was a surprisingly large red bed.

Esme sat on it happily and smoothed out the comforter with her hands. I then recognized the room. "Is this… my old room?" I asked Aro.

Aro smiled. "I had a feeling you'd recognize it. I kept all of your favorites," he replied motioning to the bookshelf. "I hope you and Esme enjoy your stay," he welcomed. "Tomorrow we'll be bringing in more humans," he added in a whisper.

I nodded furtively and he left. I went over and sat beside Esme on the bed. "He seems nice," she commented.

"Yeah, he really is," I replied, combing a strand of hair behind her ear.

Esme smiled. "Does this place have doors?" she asked, his face barely an inch from mine.

"Of course it does," I replied, knowing why she asked it. Our honeymoon was definitely not over. I darted over to close and lock the door, slipping my shirt off on the way. When I turned around, Esme's dress was on the floor, leaving her only in her undergarments.

She laid back on the bed and crossed her legs invitingly. "Paging Doctor Cullen," she said in a sexy way that made it impossible to resist her.

Darting back over to her, I leaned down to kiss her, but she stopped me. "Not yet," she whispered. "Close your eyes."

I did as she instructed. She took off my pants and boxers, then after a few seconds told me I could open my eyes. Esme was laying on her back before me completely naked. I smiled at her before leaning down to kiss her lips.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door. I froze and covered Esme with a blanket. I put on my boxers and pants once more and went over to answer the door not bothering to put on a shirt. Standing in the door way was the girl, Heidi. I again tried not to stare. "Aro would like to speak with you," she announced, "as soon as possible."

I cursed under my breath and slipped my shirt back on. "Esme, I'll be back," I said and left the room muttering curses at Aro.

Making my way to the library which had been our normal meeting place in the past, I noticed more of the new members of the Volturi I had not had the pleasure to meet before. When I reached the library, there was a guard outside. It was a woman, she was stunningly beautiful, as all vampire women are. She was short with an hour-glass shaped figure with fairly long blonde hair that looked a bit caramel colored in the sun like Esme's.

She looked at me as I approached with black eyes. I supposed that the Volturi had not had a large enough feeding last time to feed everyone. "State your business here," she said in a loud, clear voice.

"Aro summoned me. I am Carlisle Cullen," I replied kindly.

She gave me a brief nod and knocked on the door. "Carlisle is here master," she said through the door.

"Let him in!" Aro's voice came back.

The woman opened the door and motioned for me to go inside. As I entered, Aro was sitting in a chair, with a woman in his lap. She was tall, with brown hair and a beautiful face. She rose instantly when she saw me and backed away from Aro looking embarrassed. Aro just smiled. "Carlisle, you remember Sulpicia?"

Sulpicia smiled sheepishly. "Hello," she whispered.

"Hi," I replied with a kind smile. "Aro… what is it you wanted to tell me? I was sort of… in the middle of something."

Aro smiled, knowing already what it was. "My apologies, my friend," he said rising to his feet. "I wanted to speak with you about… your son. Edward."

I let out a sigh. He hadn't changed at all. Whenever Edward came up in one of our private face-to-face conversations, I always knew that Aro was looking for Edward to join the Volturi and add to Aro's power. Aro was a good friend of mine. We were close to the same age when we were transformed and we both had a similar attitude in ways, but that thing that distinguished us wasn't the fact that I drank animal blood and he human, it was his hunger for power. He would do anything to get it. He would kill for it. I knew that much. When I lived with the Volturi before, he confided in me shortly after Didyme had been killed, that he was the one who did it.

I had been shocked to first find out, but assured me he would regret what he had to do for the rest of eternity. He had to keep Marcus in his coven to keep his power. Marcus's power was too great for him to leave and travel as a nomad with Aro's sister. I knew I was in no danger of that happening to me. I had no special power that would add to Aro's power.

"Aro…" I almost moaned in discomfort. All the passion I'd felt from my few minutes with Esme had died.

"Just hear me out Carlisle," Aro said quickly before I could tell him that Edward was not interested. "Look, I know that Edward has been hesitant in the past with this, but if you could just talk to him—"

"Aro!" I interrupted him. "Stop it. The last time that happened... The last time I carried on a message to him from you, I nearly lost him. I cannot lose my son again."

Aro frowned. "You would not lose him. You and Esme would be more than welcome to stay here with us."

"But we don't want to stay here Aro!" I snapped. "We have our own life now. We have a family, and we intend to keep it that way!"

Aro looked almost as if I had slapped him. His blood-red eyes went from shocked, to hard and cold with anger. "Carlisle… you are my friend, but there are matters—"

"Screw all that! You will not take him and make him into a monster!" I shouted in fury.

The door opened slowly from behind me. I turned around to Esme standing there, fully clothed. "Carlisle? What is going on?" she asked in a frightened whisper.

Aro looked from me to Esme, an evil look sparked in his eye, then left. He gave me a knowing look, and I knew what it meant. He would do anything to have Edward join him. That meant killing his family, or killing Esme. I knew he was that desperate. He killed his own sister and made Marcus suffer…

"Nothing," I replied quickly. "Come on. We're leaving Esme," I said and grabbed her arm. I drug her out of the room and walked swiftly down the hallway, not wanting to attract attention to us.

"Carlisle…" she whispered in a terrified voice.

"I'll explain on the way," I told her and kissed her head softly as two men walked by wearing gray robes. I pulled her into the room and got our stuff. We hadn't unpacked, which I was happy about. "Hurry," I said as she picked up her suitcase.

I led the way down to the reception area. The woman who sat behind the desk spoke to us in Italian. I didn't catch what she said as I led Esme down the corridor and out into the old church ruins. There, I met the young girl Jane again.

"Jane," I said curtly. "What a surprise."

Esme looked at me nervously as I reached for Esme's hand.

"Leaving so soon Carlisle?" she asked in a singsong voice.

"Yes. We have to go home," I said in reply and tried to push past her. Instantly I felt excruciating pain sear through me. It felt like I was burning alive. I'd felt pain like this only once before—during my transformation, but this was worse. I wanted to scream, but when I opened my mouth nothing came out. The pain was too intense. I could scarcely hear Esme's voice in the background screaming for Jane to stop whatever she was doing.

I heard another voice in a background. It was a man's. At that moment, the pain left. I collapsed to the ground breathing heavily. Everything appeared to be blurry. I couldn't see straight. Nothing was right. Disoriented, and with Esme's help, I rose to my feet and saw Aro standing there, flanked by Marcus and Caius.

"You made a mistake Carlisle. I don't want to hurt you, but Edward _will_ join us!"

"Over my dead body!" I snarled.

"That can be arranged," Aro replied menacingly.

Esme let out a shriek. "No! No, please! Kill me please!"

"Esme stay out of this!" I hissed harsher than I meant it. I pushed Esme behind me, shielding her from the Volturi. I pushed her gently against the wall, my back to her, covering her entirely. Jane chuckled. "Should I put the woman in pain master?"

"NO!" I yelled and launched myself at Jane. I felt the pain again. It stopped me in mid-leap. I froze and collapsed to the ground.

"STOP IT!" Esme screamed again. "Please I'll do whatever you want! Please! Please!"

The pain stopped and I fell to the ground. The two men that had walked past Esme and I in the hallway grabbed me by both of my arms and pulled me to my feet. Aro looked at them. He sighed nodded. They forced me down on my knees, one putting their own knee in my back. Th other had me by the hair and pulled me head back. This was exactly what they did with an execution.

I looked up at Aro. He looked into my eyes. "You gave me no choice."

"NO!" Esme screamed. "Please! Kill me! Kill _me_!" she begged.

Aro looked over at her. "Maybe I should…"

"No," I growled. As if I'd received all the strength in the world, I squirmed out of their grip and punched one in the head so hard his head came off. The man that had his knee in my back lunged for me, but I slid under him and grabbed Esme, getting in front of her to protect her.

Aro looked at me curiously. "Fine. You win this time Carlisle," he said with a hint of teasing to his voice. "Don't think we won't have this conversation again," he added darkly.

I grabbed Esme's hand and without another word, took off back to where we belonged in America.

A/N: Hehe, hope you enjoyed. (: Thanks for reading, please review, and continue to follow the story! :D


	11. Chapter 11: Departures and Meetings

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Eleven - ****Departures and Meetings**

Esme and I went back to Ohio. We packed the rest of our things in our tiny old house. We both knew we had to move. There was no way we could go back to Isle Esme after the previous events. Esme was scared stiff that the Volturi would come for us again. Maybe in another decade they would, but doubted it would be soon. Nevertheless, I shared Esme's concern.

I called Edward the night I got back and told him everything. He seemed shocked that the Volturi wanted him bad enough to nearly kill me since I had been their friend for so long. He said he blamed himself for what happened, even though he had nothing to do with it.

We met up in Canada. Edward seemed like he had something on his mind. Esme sensed it too. She went up and hugged Edward. He hugged her back softly before pulling away. I knew Esme was concerned for him and had no romantic feelings for him since she considered him a son, but I couldn't help feeling a little jealous seeing her in another man's arms.

"I've been thinking," Edward confessed looking at me. "I'm thinking about going out on my own."

I stared at him. Esme gasped quietly. "Edward…"

"Let me finish. I'm going to see how the other life is like—as a true vampire," Edward said. "I'll hunt people, but I'll be a vigilante in a way—killing only criminals and abusers."

Esme opened her mouth to say something, but I stopped her. "Are you sure this is what you want to do?" I asked him quietly.

Edward nodded. "I could never live with myself if one of you were killed because of me. I've come to love you too much."

Esme nodded sadly. "If you really want this…"

Edward nodded once more. I went toward him and wrapped my arms around him in a hug. Edward hugged me back tightly before pulling away. "Thank you," Edward whispered.

I smiled. Edward rarely told me thank you. In fact, I couldn't remember a time when he did say thank you to me before them. He always hated me for changing him, but now maybe he came to forgive me and learned to accept the way things were.

Edward and I always believed that we gave our souls to the Devil in exchange for immortality. In our afterlife, there was nothing to expect, except us going to hell. I never really thought about that though when I was changing someone. I think that the vampire that changed the human should be damned rather than the other way around.

I didn't want to lose my son. As he began to walk away to go to one of the big cities and begin his hunting, I turned to Esme. "We should probably move to another state as well… Maybe we could go down to South America for a long hunting trip. It's virtually unexplored there and are a lot of animals, so we should probably head down there."

Esme nodded sadly. "Okay. I've never really left Ohio, so this is going to be quite an adventure," she tried to joke.

I smiled weakly and took her hand. We both set off toward South America trying to have fun along the way…

Esme and I spent a week building a small house in the forest in the Amazon rainforest. We made most of what we would need—shelter and maybe a chair or two, and a place to put our clothes. We didn't need a bed since it was unnessicary.

One night, shortly after the house was finished, I decided to go hunting. I invited Esme but she said she didn't want to hunt yet. When I returned, a beautiful sound filled my ears. Our house was by the beach since we had tried to bring a piece of Isle Esme back into our lives. I thought Esme was playing a record, but it was impossible. Esme was singing in a beautiful, flawless voice.

_I wish I was in Carrickfergus_

_Only for nights in Ballygrand_

_I would swim over the deepest ocean_

_The deepest ocean for my love to find_

_But the sea is wide and I cannot swim over_

_Neither have I wings to fly_

_If I could find me a handsome boatsman_

_To ferry me over to my love and die_

_My childhood days bring back sad reflections_

_Of happy times spent so long ago_

_My childhood friends and my own relations_

_Have all passed on now like melting snow_

_But I'll spend my days in endless roaming_

_Soft is the grass, my bed is free_

_Ah, to be back now in Carrickfergus_

_On that long road down to the sea_

_I'll spend my days in endless roaming_

_Soft is the grass, my bed is free_

_But I am sick now, and my days are numbered_

_Come all you young men and lay me down_

I found her in standing in the other doorway that led out to the sea, singing. Her voice was amazing beautiful. "That was beautiful," I whispered, standing in the one main room.

She turned to see me and looked down, embarrassed. "I've been thinking about it since Edward left… I wish I could've sung it to him."

I went up and took her hand. "Why?"

"Well… I guess I am sort of like his mother now… Well when I was young, I had trouble falling asleep, so my mother would sing me that song. I always told my mother that when I grew up and had kids of my own I would sing it to them…" Esme explained. "But now…"

I looked down, blaming myself in a way. When I changed her, I took away her ability to have children. "If we could… if it were possible… I would've done it with you," I promised.

Esme smiled weakly. "If I were human," she whispered.

"If it were possible," I sighed and kissed her forehead. "What is that song called?"

"Oh," Esme said, the question taking her by surprise. "Carrickfergus. My mother loved that song."

"It's pretty, but sad," I commented kissing her forehead softly.

She smiled. "That was sort of my mother's thing," she confessed. She turned us around so I was near the doorway. She pushed me up against the wall, her hands on my chest. "But it's not exactly mine," she said and kissed my lips before walking out the door.

I followed her. "What's your thing then?" I teased.

"Tall, blonde, and handsome!" Esme called over her shoulder, giggling as she ran to the water. I saw her slip her dress off as the sun began to set on the horizon. I ran after her quickly slipping my own shirt off. As soon as I got in the water, after her, I heard her gasp.

"Esme!" I called and swam toward her. She was some feet out. Just as I neared her, she was jerked under the water. Tugging on her foot was a man. He most likely a member of the Volturi. I could only guess since I didn't know what other coven would be after us. I swam toward him wanting to protect Esme and angry that he grabbed my mostly naked wife's food.

Esme went to the surface as I wrestled with the man in the water. "Carlisle!" she yelled from the surface. I kicked the man in the face and swam to the surface. We bother swam to shore as three more figures swam toward us. When we got to the shore, I saw Esme slip her dress on and crouch ready to fight.

"Who are you?" a woman who had emerged from the water asked. She was pale like us all but had an olive tint to her skin. She had long dark hair she wore in a braid behind her back. She was one of the women. The other two looked exactly like her. The man I had wrestled with in the water and had assaulted Esme stood next to the woman speaking. He shared all their features but had cropped black hair. They all had red eyes.

"I am Carlisle and this is my wife Esme," I said. "We come in peace." I motioned for Esme to stand. She did but didn't take her eyes off them.

The woman that had spoken before narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Are you aware that you have trespassed on my coven's land?"

"No. I am sorry. We had no knowledge of you until this night," I said quickly.

The woman's red eyes went to normal. "Very well," she allowed. "Welcome to the Amazon. I can see that you mean no harm to us. You're one of the yellow-eyes," she said. "We have seen one coven before. They hail from Alaska. You do not mean to steal our prey. Where do you hail from?"

"The United States," I replied looking at Esme. "We moved recently, but we used to live in Ohio."

"Ohio," the woman repeated and looked at the other women. "I am Zafrina and these are my sisters: Kachiri," she said looking at the woman closest, "and Senna," she said looking at the woman farthest from her. "This is one of our accidents—Abdulla. He was changed accidently when we attacked a hunting party that had come here to poach. He thinks he is in Egypt at the moment," Zafrina said.

"Excuse me?" I asked suddenly interested.

"It is my power. I can make anyone in my eyesight see whatever I wish them too," Zafrina said. "For example," she said. She looked at me and focused hard before I saw Esme in front of me kissing… Edward…"

I gasped and then it went away. Esme was beside me looking nervous. I looked at Zafrina who was smirking. "I can show them their greatest desires, or their deepest fears." She looked at Esme. Esme's eyes widened after a second and then she looked back at me.

"What did you see?" I asked.

"You… with that beautiful woman from the Volturi," she whispered.

"I saw you… with… someone…" I said not wanting to reveal my fear that Esme might leave me for a younger vampire. I knew it was stupid, but sometimes I wondered. She only thought of Edward as a son.

"If you please," the woman named Kachiri said. "You are welcome to stay for a while, but we will require you to leave after so long so. We have remained a secret from other forces for long, but we do not know how long that will last."

I nodded. "We should only be staying for a while."

Zafrina nodded. "Well then… you may continue your… eh… excursions," she said and led the others along with Abdulla off into the forest.

"Maybe we should continue in the house," I suggested.

Esme nodded. "Good idea… Race you there," she giggled and took off. I followed her as quickly as I could.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Meeting the Amazon Coven was interesting to write. XD Thanks for reading! Please follow and review!


	12. Chapter 12: Denali

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Twelve - ****Denali**

Esme and I got along well with the Amazon coven. They asked us many questions about America and about the Denali coven. They had a particular fascination with Kate's gift—her physical shield. I explained that Esme and I had no special powers, but my adoptive son Edward did. When they asked where he had gone, Esme just looked away sadly and Senna did not pushed the matter further.

I noticed that Esme and I spent less time sleeping together and more time with the Amazon coven and hunting. I thought that the desire any relationship feels for a certain amount of time—a desire that makes it difficult to leave the bedroom (especially for vampires since we never got tired and had no humans needs)—was finally starting to fade. In a way, I thought this would be good for us. Our relationship would grow this way and we wouldn't be so focused on each other's bodies.

After three weeks in the Amazon rainforest, Esme and I decided that it was best to leave the coven in peace. In truth, I think that the Amazonians were sad to see us depart, but also thrilled to have the forest back to themselves. I asked Esme if she wanted to visit our friends in Denali. She said we might as well so we took off to Alaska.

It took a longer time to get to Denali than it took for us to get to South America. Maybe it was because when we went to South America, in a way we were fleeing the nonexistent danger of the Volturi. Now, there was no need to rush so we spent some time in other places—visiting landmarks, looking around some of the more popular states (always being extremely careful in sunny places) and hunting in more untamed places.

In Canada, we moved more quickly, hunting along the way. Since there were not too many major areas to distract us, we reached Juneau, Alaska quickly. From there, we went to Denali National Park. In that park was where the Denali coven lived. I took Esme to their house.

Such a beautiful, scenic landscape wouldn't have been complete without a log cabin in my mind, but this was beyond my imagination. It was hidden within the thick nettles of the pine trees. The walls were made of tree trunks and the roof looked like it was made of bark with a mixture of feathers and lichen mixed in, probably to make it watertight. It was an impressive site—three stories tall and just as long and wide. It was a wonder they were able to keep it hidden. In such a primitive landscape, such an amazingly beautifully-built home would attract a lot of attention. They were lucky that few people came out here—probably why they chose it.

There was a young girl sitting on the porch, she was tall and moved gracefully, but not as graceful as Aro did. She had very long hair the color of corn silk. She turned to look at me, her golden eyes narrowed at first, then widened as she recognized me. "Carlisle!" she exclaimed. She jumped off the elevated porch about six feet to the forest floor. She ran over and wrapped me in a hug. I dropped my suitcase from the collision and it landed on my foot.

"Kate, it's good to see you," I said and pulled away. "This is my wife, Esme," I introduced her to Esme who appeared to be a bit jealous.

"Oh," Kate said looking embarrassed. "Sorry. I didn't know," she confessed. She extended her hand toward Esme. "I'm Kate."

"Esme," Esme replied shaking it with a smile and putting her own suitcase down.

"Did I hear Carlisle's name?" I another woman asked appearing in the doorway.

"Hello Tanya and yes you did," I responded looking at the beautiful woman before me. She was very beautiful, even for a vampire. She had golden eyes like all the vegetarian vampires and long strawberry blonde hair that was tied back in a bun.

Tanya smiled sweetly. "Good to see you again." She looked at Esme and smiled. "Eleazar told me you had found a girl. What's your name?" she asked Esme, descending the steps.

"Esme," Esme said smiling sweetly.

"She's my wife now," I explained.

Tanya's eyebrows raised briefly. "Oh. How nice," she said pleasantly. "If you will forgive me, is Edward with you?"

Esme sighed.

I sighed with her. "No. Edward left us," I confessed.

Kate sighed sadly. Tanya looked at the ground. "Oh," she said again.

"Well, we got into a little problem… with the Volturi," I revealed.

Both of their heads snapped up. I regretted what I had said immediately. We would not be welcome there now. Their creator and mother, Sasha, had been killed by the Volturi because she created an immortal child—Vasilii, who had been transformed at age three.

Another woman emerged from the house. "Volturi?" she whispered. She was beautiful as well. Her hair was pale blonde, almost silver. Her hair was chin-length in contrast to her sisters' long, elegant hair.

"Irina," Tanya whispered turning to her sister. "Irina, they won't come for us. We're innocent. You know that."

Irina nodded weakly. "I… I know… But what about the others? Eleazar? Carmen? They are innocent. Eleazar left! They could come for him!"

"Kate!" Tanya hissed in a low voice. "Take their suitcases in please," she instructed to her.

Kate went up to calm her sister as Tanya motioned for Esme and me to head off into the forest with her. Tanya led us far enough away from the house. We walked to a high cliff. There was herd of caribou grazing below us, but I resisted the urge to hunt them.

Tanya took a deep breath. "Tell me what happened exactly."

I told her the story so far of how Aro asked Esme and I to visit him I told her about our discussion and how Aro wanted Edward in his coven and I refused to let him go. I told her about Aro nearly killing me in front of Esme. I also explained that Edward had left so Esme and I would not be harmed if the Volturi came looking for him again.

Tanya didn't look pleased. "Aro," she grumbled. "Always looking for ways to make himself more powerful! But, by the sound of it, he's giving up for now. You are welcome to stay. Even if they were coming, we would have stood by you," Tanya promised. "But this troubles me…" she murmured half to herself. "Come. I'll take you back the house so you can settle in. I'll be damned if Aro…" That was all I heard before Tanya took off toward the house.

I followed her with Esme close beside me. She slowed as we neared the house. "Carlisle… you need to give me some answers. What was that all about?" she asked pulling me to a halt.

Sighing, I looked at my feet. I didn't know the story very well. "Long ago, there was a vampire named Sasha. She wanted to have children, but couldn't so she transformed three young girls—Tanya, Kate and Irina. She treated them as her daughters. They fed on humans then, but the girls liked to be… physically intimate with the men in the nearby villages. Whenever they would try, they would end up killing the man. It hurt them especially when they formed more than a physical tie to him.

"Meanwhile, the Volturi had made a law that there could be no immortal children made. If they were made, they would be destroyed. Sasha did so anyway. She kidnapped a small boy that couldn't have been older than three years named Vasilii. She changed him into a vampire. He never grew up, obviously, but mentally, he stayed like a three-year-old.

"She kept Vasilii hidden, even from her three daughters. One day, the Volturi were informed of Vasilii's existence and came to destroy him. Sasha confessed that she had broken the law and was killed along with the poor child. Since Tanya, Irina and Kate knew nothing about Vasilii, the Volturi spared them on Aro's word.

"The three sisters never forgot how their adoptive mother had been destroyed by the Volturi, and I doubt they forgave the Volturi for doing so. Even so, they acknowledge that Sasha had broken the vampire law. They still fear and respect the Volturi, however. Irina has a particular fear of them making her loyal to them to keep her own life," I explained quietly.

Esme listened and sighed. "That poor child. It didn't deserve to die. Or be changed," Esme whispered.

I sighed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and walked back to the house with her, rubbing her arm softly. "Well, I suppose it would be better than living as a three-year-old forever and being a monster."

Esme sighed sadly and nodded. "But I can understand what that Sasha did—the desire to have a child," she commented. "I would never take a child's like that for my own selfish reasons, but…"

I kissed her head. "I know. I'm sorry. That one's on me."

She sighed and made me stop, turning to face me. "No it's not. I'm happy with you. Even if means giving up something like that, I'd rather be with you than human and without you," she said and kissed me lips softly.

I kissed her back briefly before pulling away. "Come on. We should probably head inside or else they'll start worrying about us."

Esme nodded and we both entered the house. The house was nicer than our house had been in Ohio. It had furniture—a sofa, chairs, tables and many different rooms. Irina and Kate were sitting on the sofa talking in hushed whispered. Irina still appeared distressed. "Carlisle!" a familiar voice called as he entered from another room.

"Eleazar," I said and shook his hand again. "You remember Esme," I said gesturing to her.

"Of course!" he scoffed. "How could I forget? Tanya told us that you too are married now. Did I hear that right?" he joked.

I smiled and nodded. Carmen was quick to follow Eleazar. She and Esme hugged briefly. It appeared that they had formed a friendship in that short time when they visited us. Eleazar led me some distance away from our wives and began speaking to me in a hushed voice. "What is this I hear about the Volturi?"

Sighing, I told him exactly what I told Tanya. He let out a muffled sigh. "I see…" Eleazar murmured. "It is not in Aro's nature to take such a letdown easily… Though I am surprised he tried to kill me."

"I think that was mainly because I insulted him," I offered.

"Carlisle, you and Aro have been friends for a good two centuries—maybe longer; probably longer. Anyway, my point is I'm not sure that Aro is in his right mind. I mean, three thousand years or more can make a man go mad," Eleazar said, beginning to pace back and forth.

I nodded, thinking. Folding my arms across my chest I said, "Still… it is a bit out of his character. Do you think he truly has lost most of his sanity?"

"Sometimes I wonder about him…" Eleazar confessed. "He let me leave with Carmen… Maybe the old coot is losing it."

I sighed and nodded. I let my gaze wander the house. Tanya had joined Carmen and Esme in their discussion. They were chattering away like giddy school girls. Irina seemed to have calmed down and was reading. Kate was with her studying her hands quietly.

"Oh, Carlisle," Tanya called seeing I was looking around. "Come on. I'll show you and Esme to your room," she said and led the way up the wooden staircase. I invited Esme to go first and she didn't hesitate, dragging her suitcase with her. I picked up my own and followed her up the stairs.

Tanya took us to the second floor first. "Carmen and Eleazar's room as well as my own, and Irina's are on this floor. You'll be staying on the third floor with Kate," she explained as she led the way upstairs. The third floor was not as large as the first or the second. It was more compact. There was a room on one side of the hall, and then one more on the other. Tanya took us to the room on the right.

It was larger than the rooms on the second floor because we had the whole space for one room. There was a large king-sized bed on the front wall. When you'd walk in, it was right to your left since the door was on the farthest right side. There was a sofa, a bookshelf and a record player all dispersed around the room. Esme smiled and twirled around in the room looking at everything. The walls and the ceiling were made of longs.

"Tanya, how did you build all this?" she demanded in wonder.

"I dunno. Sasha built it," she confessed. "You two probably want to be alone," she added giving me a sly look before leaving and closing the door behind her.

Esme rolled her eyes playfully as Tanya left and went around looking at the bookshelves. I did the same occasionally messing with Esme's hair and grabbing at her dress to tease her. Esme would giggle and usually shove me. There were a lot of works in the house that had been in our house back in Ohio. We technically never sold the house so all the books and the larger furniture items were still there. I picked up a book or two and flipped through the pages. Some were books I'd never heard of before. I promised myself I'd read them at one point.

I heard music begin to play and looked over at Esme that had accidently started the record player. The harmonious sounds of trumpets and other brass instruments filled the air. Esme started dancing, laughing happily. I put the book back and went over to dance with her.

We danced to whatever songs were on the records. We were good dancers, but every now and then I'd step on her foot, or she'd step on mine. One of us would trip or accidently kick the other in the shin. We would both just laugh.

Finally, the last song was a slow song. I wrapped my arms around Esme's waist and back and held her to my chest. She locked her own arms around my neck and rested her chin on my shoulder. We swayed to the soft music, moving around in a circle.

"Oh, Carlisle," Esme breathed happily.

I smiled and kissed her neck lovingly. "I love you Esme Cullen."

She kissed my shoulder. "I love you too, Carlisle Cullen."

When the song stopped, the record stopped as well. We pulled away and out of our embrace to look in each other's eyes. I leaned down to kiss her and she met me half way, running her fingers through my hair. I kissed her deeply pulling her closer to me.

She kissed me back making soft moaning sounds. Somehow, we found our way to the bed. Esme slipped her dress off in the process. I didn't even remember when she took off my shirt and trousers. She smiled as I cupped her breasts in my hands gently and kissed her neck before kissing her lips again and moving my hands away so I was hovering above her.

Esme smiled and kissed me lovingly before we finally began to make love. We tried to remain quiet for the others in the household since vampires have extremely good hearing. I did my best not to destroy Tanya's bed while I was being passionate.

As the sun rose, we finally ceased. She lay on her side and I curled around her like a spoon moving my hands along her shoulders, ribs and waist. I stroked her hair lovingly. The sunlight shone through an open window making us both sparkle like diamonds.

After a while, we both got up and put fresh clothes on. She put on a pretty, long green dress with some gold in a pattern around her chest, neck and where the sleeves end. If they even were sleeves since it was technically a sleeveless dress. I put on tan trousers and a blue button-down short-sleeve shirt.

Esme and I went downstairs. Carmen and Irina were in the kitchen, talking away. When they saw Esme, they grabbed her hands and pulled her down. "Come on! We want your opinion!" they giggled and led her to the living room.

I followed them warily, hoping to find Eleazar. In the living room, Tanya and Kate both stood. Tanya was in a beautiful, long blue dress that looked like it belonged to a princess in one of my books. Her long strawberry-blonde hair was draped down her back in elegant curls. The dress was a pale, ocean-blue almost aqua with flower designs on the side in purple. Kate stood next to her, her long pale blonde hair was up in ponytail, but it was curled and also draping down her back. She wore a red dress that was fairly long but still revealing enough to make me feel embarrassed to be looking at her. The dress was split up the side of her leg up to her thigh. As the light filtered in through the windows, I noticed the dress was sparkling.

"Which one do you like better?" Irina asked Esme. "This is for me. We're going to town tonight to find a couple guys," she added giggling.

Esme smiled widely and looked at the two dressed. "Well, the blue one is very beautiful and elegant, but if you're looking to seduce someone, I'd go with the red," she suggested.

"That's what I said!" Carmen said pointing the red. "Esme will you stay and help the other two girls choose their dress? Oh, Carlisle," she said turning to face me, not waiting for Esme to answer. "Eleazar is waiting for you outside. He said he wanted to take you hunting."

I nodded and went outside to find Eleazar, sort of relieved to be released from a room with beautiful woman in beautiful dressed. Good God, Esme was turning me into a monster in that department.

Eleazar was waiting. "Did they distract you for a minute?" Eleazar teased as I walked down the porch steps to him.

"No. Carmen just told me about five seconds ago where you were," I said walking up to him.

"Those girls," Eleazar muttered. "Jesus Christ, they must've done every man in that nearby village, but they won't stop."

I chuckled. "If I were one of the men, I wouldn't be too angry if they came back for seconds," I joked.

Eleazar chuckled too. "Good point. Ah," he sighed. "We shouldn't be saying this. We're married for the love of God."

I smiled. "Well, they should know that we're men. It's instinct," I joked.

He laughed. "Come on. Let's use our other instinct and hunt, huh?" he said and took off into the forest.

I followed him and it wasn't long before we saw a pair of adult male Grizzly bears fighting over a female. The female was growling as her cub kept trying to get close to her. "Poor thing," Eleazar murmured. "Wants its mother but its mother wants the males now. The cub's weaned so she's chasing it off."

Nodding, I kept my gaze focused on the two fighting bears. I looked at Eleazar and we both nodded. No words needed to be said. Hunting was an instinct. It came naturally to us. My throat burned as I got closer to the bears, crouching in the grass I as moved. I saw Eleazar. He let out a soft growl that I could hear. He was very thirsty and didn't know how much longer he could go. I knew how he felt. It was a feeling I knew, because I felt it too and I understood it—the thirst, the pain, the burning… The blood…

I lunged for one of the fighting bears and locked my arms around its neck in an iron grip. I heard the other bear it had been fighting let out a startled roar as Eleazar jumped on its back. My own bear snarled and tried to claw at me, but I squeezed its neck in my arms, and snapped it. The bear when limp beneath me and I bit into its neck and sucked the blood into my mouth. The taste was better than anything. If I had the choice of making love to a woman or drinking blood, at that moment I would've picked the blood. It soothed the burning flames in my throat. As I drained the bear, the predator inside me began to subside. I was finally able to think clearly again. When the bear ran dry I pulled away and let out an angry hiss. The bear cub had run off. The mother was trying to claw Eleazar's back but with little success. I jumped on the female bear and drained her as well. I had no idea how thirsty I had been. I couldn't finish the female so I let Eleazar finish her.

We left the three bodies in the woods for scavengers and headed back to the house. My shirt didn't have a drop of blood on it, mainly from my years of practice, but Eleazar's shirt was completely drenched in blood.

As we went back to the house, I heard someone gasp. I looked up and saw Esme staring at Eleazar in horror. "What happened?" she demanded. I then noticed that his shirt was pretty much ruined from the bear's slashes when it had tried to attack him.

"Bear. Claws weren't strong enough to hurt me though," Eleazar explained.

Esme let out a sigh of relief then looked from Eleazar to me. I knew that she was probably thinking I was so much neater than him, but didn't say anything. Eleazar went into the house to put a new shirt on. I kissed Esme's forehead. "Have fun?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. They invited me into town tonight, but I said I wasn't good with humans. Eleazar and Carmen are going with them so we'll have the house to ourselves tonight."

"Great," I said and kissed her lips.

She pulled away and took me into the house.

Right before they left, Esme made a snap decision to go with them. We changed into good clothes as quickly as we could and went down to join them. Surprisingly, I wasn't disappointed I wouldn't be able to spend the night alone with her. I was more interested in where we were going.

They decided they would go To Fairbanks Alaska. I was excited to be able to go here. They said the town was founded because of gold alone. The people came to the city and built it because of the gold mines around the town. It was fairly young town, only being established in 1901 as a trading post.

As the three sisters went around looking for men to seduce in their sexy outfits, Esme and I wandered around town. She was in her good white dress holding my hand. I was in a long-sleeved white shirt and black trousers. It was summertime I realized and the midnight sun was still in the sky as Esme and I looked up at it. I realized that last night when I had imagined it was dark, it had only been slightly dark like a normal evening light. It was midnight sun that I saw.

I wondered if Edward, wherever he was, was looking up at the moon just as we were looking up at the sun.

A/N: Hehe, this is a long one. Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading! Please follow and review! :D


	13. Chapter 13: Bittersweet Reunion

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Thirteen - ****Bittersweet Reunion**

We spent about a month with the Denali coven. When June past and July began, Esme and I began to wonder more and more about Edward. We decided to leave to find him and make sure he was doing okay after the fourth of July since Tanya begged us to stay for the fireworks display in Anchorage.

That night, we set off to the city limits of Anchorage and sat in the forest after hunting. We were able to solve a bear problem the city were having during our hunting which made us feel better that the humans would be safe.

Around ten o'clock, fireworks began to light up the sky. Esme and I watched happily. Esme sat in my lap, seeming to be more interested in me than the fireworks. Just like she had on the plane to Italy, she played with my clothing except when an exceptionally loud boom split the air and sky was lit up with an array of various colors.

After the fireworks, Esme and I said good-bye to our friends and made our way off toward New York City, hoping that Edward had found his way there. Neither of us were good trackers and Edward's scent would've probably been gone for a while now. So we decided to start with the largest city in the country. We eventually caught his scent and followed it for a while. We found him one night in an alley saving a girl no older than sixteen from being raped by a group of drunken guys. We perched on the roof of an old brick building, watching the scene from above.

The girl ran off, scared of Edward's strength. Edward killed the men and drained them all. I have to restrain Esme one from running down to join him. I didn't know if it was the blood that got her or the desire to kill those men who had tried to do such horrible things to the young girl.

Edward looked up and saw us. His eyes were blood-red and they looked very angry. Edward climbed up the brick wall to us and narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Why are you here?"

Esme ran up and hugged him. "We just wanted to make sure you were okay," Esme said kindly.

Edward pulled out of his grip. "I'm fine. I don't need to be babysat."

"We were just checking up on you," I assured him. "Making sure that everything was running smoothly. No Volturi problems?"

Edward snorted in false laughter. "Even if there were do you think I'd come running to you too for help?"

Esme flinched. It was barely noticeable, but since I had my arm around her waist, I felt her body jerk. "We would always try," she whispered.

Edward looked away stubbornly. "Well I don't want you to check up on me!" he snarled. "I want to be alone like the monster I am!" he growled and took off, jumping from rooftop-to-rooftop across the city.

Esme cried tearlessly into my chest. I rubbed her back soothingly. "It's okay. Let him be alone. We'll come back one day. I promised."

After our brief meeting with Edward, Esme and I wandered the streets of New York City originally looking for a hotel, then a familiar scent caught my nose—blood. Human blood. I looked at Esme and she was already looking around for the victim. I saw I hotel nearby. "Esme," I whispered urgently. "Go in the hotel and rent a room on one of the top floors. Make sure it has windows. When you get in, open them," I said giving her my suitcase. I kissed her forehead quickly. "Go."

Esme did as I said and walked swiftly toward the hotel. I headed off toward the blood making sure I was running at human velocity. I ran through a few alleys before I finally found the source. There was a beautiful young woman lying in the alley. Her clothes were ripped and scattered around the alley leaving her almost completely naked. Her body was bruised and cut; she'd most likely been raped. I wondered where Edward had been during all of this. I knew he could not right all the wrongs, but still.

I bent down before the girl. She was still alive, but barely. I could feel her heart beat slowly. She was beautiful even with the cuts on her face. There was no way I could heal her with any human medicines. There was only one thing left… I could not bring myself to let such a beautiful young life be wasted. I leaned down to her ear, wondering if she was even still conscious. "What is your name?" I whispered.

"R-Rosalie," she whispered the name on her dry, chapped lips. "Rosalie… Hale."

"Okay, Rosalie," I said moving her long blonde hair away from her neck. "Rosalie I'm going to save your life, but it's going to hurt. I'm going to change you into a vampire," I said.

Rosalie let out a soft moan. I didn't know what this meant, but I bit her neck…

I took Rosalie Hale back to the hotel. Esme had done as I had said. I hitched Rosalie around one of hips and climbed up the wall into the hotel room. Esme gasped when she saw her. "Oh my God Carlisle!" she breathed as I laid Rosalie on the bed.

"The venom will heal the wounds," I promised. "Can we put one of your dresses on her?" I asked looking at her naked body.

Esme nodded and quickly darted across the room to her suitcase. She took out her blue dress and helped me put it on Rosalie.

Three days later, Rosalie woke with perfect features and red eyes. Esme and I explained what she was and what we did. We told her we only hunted animals—not humans. Rosalie seemed to understand this, but she hated what she had become. Her voice was flawless and almost never monotone. She always seemed to speak softly.

"Why did you change me?" she whispered.

"I didn't want you to die. This might not be the best life, but it gives us a chance to start over in a new way," I said.

Rosalie sighed sadly. "My throat is burning."

"I know. It's the thirst. Come on, but try to restrain yourself," I said and jumped out the window.

Between Esme and me we were able to escort Rosalie out of the city and into the forest where she could finally hunt. She killed a couple deer. I only needed one since the bear Esme and I had shared in Anchorage had sustained me.

As Rosalie fed, a voice sounded from behind me: "Rosalie Hale?" it nearly snarled. The voice belonged to my son and it sounded utterly repulsed.

"She was dying. I wanted to save her," I sighed turning to face him.

Edward stood. For the first time, I noticed what he was wearing. I didn't want to focus on his cynical eyes and criticizing face. The red eyes were what disturbed me. He was in black trousers with a shirt to match.

"So you think you were saving her life by changing her into this monster?" Edward inquired with a sneer. "You actually thing that she'll thank you for this after she kills her first human from the newborn craze?"

I heard Esme and Rosalie coming out of the woods behind me. Edward's eyes flickered from them to me. "Look at her. Tell me you don't regret your decision."

Sighing, I turned and looked at Rosalie. She was wearing Esme's dress. The bottom was drenched in blood. Her long blonde hair looked almost ghostly as it swayed in the midnight breeze. Blood trickled down her chin; her eyes were still red from her own human blood still lingering in her tissues. She looked stunningly beautiful to any human man. At that moment, I thought came into my head, that I was immediately ashamed of. She would've made a perfect wife for Edward.

"Absolutely not!" Edward snarled reading my thoughts. "If _that_ that was your reason for changing her than I hope you enjoy disappointment!"

"Edward that's not what I was thinking!" I growled turning back to him, but he had already set off back toward the city.

Edward whipped around and grabbed my neck. "Carlisle…" he warned.

"Carlisle let him go!" Esme begged running up. "Edward," she breathed looking at him.

Edward let go of my neck and took a step back. I looked in his soulless red eyes. "You're not a monster unless you make yourself one," I commented quietly. "Feeding off animal blood doesn't only keep you from killing humans, but it also helps you form bonds of love rather than bonds that will only make you more powerful. Think about that Edward."

I turned away from him taking Esme's hand and walked back to where Rosalie stood watching us with confusion and fear in her eyes. "Carlisle, who is that man?" she asked looking at Edward who still remained rooted to the ground.

"My son… that is if he still wants to be," I murmured in reply.

I looked over my shoulder. Edward was looking at the ground, watching the grass blow in the wind. "I'm sorry," he murmured and took off back toward the city. His unctuous sneer that he had when he had arrived had vanished into what looked like complete remorse and somberness. "I'm sorry," he said again and darted off into the night.

Rosalie watched him go, her red eyes narrowing. "Some son," she muttered.

Esme touched her shoulder. "Don't worry sweetie. It takes a while to get to know him. He can be a bit… cold if you pardon the pun," she said.

Rosalie looked up at her blankly.

"Oh, well I guess you wouldn't know. We actually have ice-cold skin to humans," Esme explained.

Rosalie smiled but with great effort. "Vampire," she murmured under her breath. "I bet Royce would like me now."

I looked over at her. "Who is Royce?"

She looked away embarrassed. "Oh uh… he was my fiancé… he did that to me," Rosalie whispered looking back toward the city. "He got drunk and he brought me over to his buddies and they… well, you know."

I looked away from here and down to the grass. Esme reassured Rosalie that she was safe with us and we would look after her like her parents. Rosalie burst into tearless sobs. "My parents will die of worry when they found out I've gone missing!"

She yanked away from Esme who had tried to put her arm around her shoulders. Rosalie was trembling in fury. "I'll kill Royce!" she snarled.

"Rosalie," I said quickly darting over to her. "Think about this. Think about what you are doing. There are worse punishments than death."

"You're right," Rosalie growled stalking off back toward the city. I followed her easily. "He deserves worse. Maybe I'll torture him before I finally do him in."

"Rosalie," I said grabbing her arm.

She whipped around to face me, her red eyes glowing with fury. She shoved my hand off her arm angrily. "Don't try to stop me Carlisle!" she hissed before darting off into the night.

Esme gasped and went to go after her, but I took her arm just as I had done to Rosalie. Esme turned for a moment I expected to see her own face snarling with anger, but I only saw fear and concern. "Carlisle, shouldn't we stop her?"

"The last time I tried to stop a newborn vampire, I nearly lost my head," I teased gently kissing her head. "And that newborn was you. Even the most gentlest and kindest of all creatures can turn evil when they are pushed too far."

Esme smiled weakly. "Do you think she'll be okay? What if she drains them? Drinks their blood?"

"For some reason, I have a suspicion that Rosalie won't want anything that comes from them inside her," I said and wrapped an arm around Esme's shoulders. "There's nothing more we can do. Let's just go back to the hotel room. If she doesn't return by tomorrow morning, we'll go search for her, okay?"

Esme nodded in resignation and we headed back to the hotel careful not to get to close to any humans so Esme's own thirst wouldn't be enflamed. We went back to the hotel room and waited. Neither of us was in the mood to make love so we lay on the bed and waited for either Rosalie's return or sunrise. We talked about our lives. Esme told me that her mother wanted her to be married since all of her friends were and Esme still refused to marry anyone. She told me about how Charles looked like a good, decent man on the outside, but secretly was very abusive and more a physical being when he had presented himself as deep and compassionate. She told me that when she confronted her parents about the problem, they told her to shut up and be a good wife. She told me about how he was a solider and left to fight in World War I and how excited she was to be rid of him. She explained the devastation she felt when he returned. She said that she had finally left him then only to find out that she was pregnant. She had told me that she made the baby her life and wanted to move west to become a school teacher. She got very emotional when she told me that her son had died of lung infection a few days after the birth. She then said that she had jumped off the cliff after that, having no other reason to live since she would not go back to Charles and her parents said it was disgraceful to the family what she had done.

When Esme had done, I wrapped my arms around her and told her about my life. I told her that my mother had died bringing me into the world. I told her that my father had been an Anglican pastor and he was a crusader against evil, killing all that were not good in God's eye. He tried to rid London and the surrounding towns of witches, werewolves and what I would later become, vampires. He saw evil everywhere but within. I told her that many people, innocent people, were killed or burned because of him. I told her that when he grew too old to continue that I took over his work. I was different from my father. I was not quick to see evil where there was none and I saved many people because of that. When one thirsty vampire had attacked a group of hunters that I was in, two of the men were killed, but I was wounded, leaving the venom inside me and changing me. I became the monster my father had, and taught me to hate. I told her that I had tried to starve myself, to avail. I told her that one day, while I was in the woods a herd of deer came by and I attacked them. I learned that I could feed on animal blood rather than humans. I knew that I would never truly become the monster my father wanted to hunt to extinction. I told her of how I discovered the Volturi and lived when them for a few decades before departing to America. Many years later in a hospital I was working at in Chicago, I found a young man dying of Spanish influenza. His mother begged me to do whatever I could to save him, so I made myself a companion—Edward Anthony Masen Cullen. Then I told her about our life and then how I found her in the hospital.

We talked until dawn when finally, there was a knock at the window. I flew off the bed in a flash and ran over. I expected to see Rosalie, but instead, I saw my son, Edward. I opened the window and he came in brushing off his dark gray jacket that was covered in rubble. "Edward," I half groaned. "What have you been doing?"

"Climbing up this wall," he replied with a fake cough. "A brick came out when I was coming up and I got coated in old cement."

"Have you seen Rosalie?" Esme asked nervously walking up to him.

"I've been following her. She's not done. It was a big group of guys by the look of it—all over the city too! She's saving that Royce for last. She'll probably hit him early this morning or—"

"This morning?" I asked with an icy fear clawing my stomach. "We didn't tell her about the sun!" I gasped looking at Esme.

Esme covered her mouth with her hand in shock. "She'll be easily spotted!"

"I'll go," Edward offered. "I know the city better, I can hear her thoughts and I'm faster than you two."

I nodded. "Hurry," I said patting him on the back. "Esme, while Edward tries to find her, you and I will both—"

"No," Edward said. "We'd stand a better chance if we all split up."

I felt a twinge of annoyance flare inside me. Esme touched my arm like she could tell. "I'll be fine on my own and Edward is right," she said. Edward jumped out the window and she kissed my cheek before following. I followed her and took off in a different direction, jumping along the rooftops trying to stay low so I wouldn't be spotted by the early birds below. I kept sniffing the air looking for Rosalie's scent but I kept smelling the luring smell of blood…

_No,_ I reminded myself. _You're on a mission and you do not hurt humans._

A familiar scent found its way to me. I recognized Edward's scent. I saw him running along the next row of houses. I looked over at him. He didn't seem to notice me, but he was running intently at a target ahead. I followed him as he passed me up easily.

He jumped down from one rooftop into an alley. I followed him. He scrambled up another wall and into a window. I followed him again and came in behind him.

Rosalie was in a room. There was a giant wooden double-door that hung open. One door had been knocked off the hinges. The other was hanging on crookedly. Rosalie snapped the guy's neck. He was slightly tan with black hair with a goatee and mustache. Rosalie let his limp body fall to the floor.

"Meet Royce King II," Rosalie said looking at the dead body. I then noticed she was in a beautiful, long white dress complete with a tiara and a veil. The train on the back had been tore off for movement most likely.

Edward looked at the body, then at Rosalie. "She didn't drink their blood," he informed me.

"Of course not," Rosalie spat with distaste.

"I had a feeling you wouldn't," I confessed. Edward looked at me and narrowed his eyes briefly before looking at Rosalie. "Come on, Esme is worried sick. Carlisle, you go find her. I'll take Rosalie back."

As Edward and Rosalie disappeared out the window, I had a feeling that maybe my idea that Rosalie and Edward would one day be mates might have a chance.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! We finally meet Rosalie! :D Thanks for reading, please follow and review! :)


	14. Chapter 14: Unthinkable

**Chapter Fourteen - ****Unthinkable**

Esme and I bought a house outside of New York City. Edward, Rosalie, Esme and I moved in and settled easily once Esme did all of her unnessicary remodeling. It was almost a relief to have two girls in the house. Since I had applied for a job at a nearby hospital, I knew just by the crimes I had witnessed during my short stay here that I would be working late hours. With Edward home alone, he would read and listen to his music while Rosalie and Esme can talk and get friendly with each other.

After our first weekend in the new house, I was getting ready for work Sunday night. Earlier in the week I had received my letter of acceptance to the hospital since they were short on doctors. Esme claimed she was helping but was more of a distraction as I tried to ready my things for the morning that evening. Even though it was unnessicary since I never slept, old habits die hard.

Once I hung my white doctor coat on the coatrack near the door, Esme was on my quickly. She pushed me up against the wall and crushed her lips to mine passionately. I kissed her back, wrapping my arms tightly around her waist. "I thought you'd never finish," she exaggerated through my lips.

"Please," I scoffed. "I've seen you move slower," I teased.

She giggled happily. I moved away from the wall and hitched her legs around my waist. I kissed her, standing there until I saw two figures standing behind Esme. I pulled away and saw Rosalie and Edward standing there, watching. Rosalie had this distant expression, almost longing. Edward was staring at us in disgust.

"Get a room. No one wants to see that," he scorned.

"You know what, Edward," Rosalie snapped. "Why don't you go get your head ripped off!"

Edward rolled his eyes. "You know how you drown a blonde Rosalie? Put a mirror at the bottom of a pool. Your brain is the shallowest I think I've ever had this misfortune to read!" he sneered.

Rosalie and Edward got in a heated argument about each other. Esme got off me and went over. "Hey!" she shouted above their voices. "Rosalie, leave Edward alone. Edward, leave Rosalie alone! Both of you go to your rooms. _Now!_"

Muttering, Edward and Rosalie did as they were told and retreated to their rooms. Esme walked back over and took my hand. "Shall we continue in our room?" she asked, not seeming annoyed at all.

I smiled weakly. "It would be best…" I led the way to our bedroom. Our new house had two floors. Rosalie's and Edward's rooms were on the second floor along with my study. Esme's and my room was on the first floor along with the living room and the never-used kitchen. I went into our room and turned on the light. Esme outdid herself as far as decorating went. The walls were painted beige (I had an idea that it was meant to bring back certain memories) and the carpet was the same color, but a bit brighter. The bed was styled like the one on Isle Esme. It had a white comforter with gold designs on it as well as white sheets and pillowcases. There was our relatively small walk-in closet on the same wall as our bed that held what little clothes we had. Unfortunately, where our room was positioned in the house, we had no windows, which made me feel somewhat confined.

Esme closed the door behind us and pretended to yawn. I chuckled at her poor attempt and she gave me an annoyed and playful look. "You think you can to better?" she challenged.

I let out another yawn that I had mastered from my years as a doctor. During the end of the day as I would clock out, I would always give a fake yawn to be convincing. Esme shook her head in false disbelief. "That was the best yawn I've ever heard!" she joked in a silly voice.

Chuckling, I wrapped my arms around her waist and darted us over to the bed. She giggled and climbed on top of the bed so she was on her knees. I did the same across from her. She smiled and kissed the bridge of my nose lightly. I waited, my patience running thin, to see what she would do. She took off her shirt, leaving her only in her black skirt and her bra. I ran my right hand along the exposed parts of her chest. She leaned close and kissed my lips so lightly I barely felt them. I kissed her back a little more noticeably and moved my hands so they were wrapped around her. She moved her own hands down my chest, unbuttoning buttons along the way.

When she was finally done, I unlocked my arms and helped her slip it off. I didn't bother to throw it across the room, but just set it on the edge of the bed. Esme locked her arms around my neck and kissed my lips feverishly. She tugged on the back of my hair in passion. I knew neither of us could stand waiting any longer. I moved so I was sitting on the bed and she followed my movements.

She laid down, and I moved so I hovered over her. I ripped her skirt off in haste only as a reward having to grapple with her stupid pantyhose. She helped me with that so it wouldn't rip with my over-eager hands. She helped me with my own trousers and underwear. She grasped me in her hands, but I let out a growl to say I couldn't wait any longer.

That night, was unlike any other night Esme and I had spent. It wasn't wild passion like it had been for the last couple times. It was careful and controlled. We were not too opposing forces like fire and ice competing with each other for the beautiful feeling. We were one. We moved, not as fire and ice but like a magnet—glued together with our surface, moving with each other.

We did so until I looked over at the clock. When it read 5:30 AM I knew I had to stop my loving and get ready to head to the hospital. I got up reluctantly and put on a fresh shirt and fresh pants. Esme, too, roused and put a navy-blue dress on. I kissed her cheek before leaving the room as she put her shoes on.

I didn't bother to say good-bye to Edward or Rosalie. Edward would be able to hear my thoughts and Rosalie would be able to hear me leaving. I left the house and went out to my car. I got inside and drove the hospital just outside the city.

As I drove home that night, a feeling of dread crept over me. I didn't know exactly why I was feeling this way, but I had a feeling it wasn't going to be good. As I pulled into the driveway, there was a police car in the driveway.

Cursing, I got out of my Ford and walked over. "What seems to be going on officers?" I asked approaching two men in navy blue uniforms.

"We're here about a murder—Royce King II. We received a tip that his former fiancée, Rosalie Hale, was living here," one of the officers explained. He was wide around the middle and was slightly tanned. He had a long, ginger, handle-bar mustache.

"Can I go in?" I asked politely. "It is my house."

"Sure," the other officer said.

I walked past them and went up the steps and into the kitchen. "Dammit," I muttered as I entered. Esme was there when I entered.

"Oh, Carlisle!" she exclaimed, running up and throwing her arms around me. "I was so worried! At first I thought they police were here about you!"

"Where is Rosalie?" I inquired setting my briefcase on the table and throwing my jacket down too.

"Being questioned in the living room. Edward is upstairs." Esme replied.

"How could they have found out?" I wondered aloud trying to catch a glimpse into the living room. "How could they—" I cut off, having an epiphany. "Edward," I half growled.

Esme looked at me, startled. "You don't think he…"

"I know you didn't and there were no survivors," I said. "I need to get to his room! Damn it!" I snarled and punched the wall in anger. I regretted it knowing the officers would hear.

As if on cue, two more officers came bursting into the kitchen just as I pulled my hand out of the wall. Rosalie stared at me with hard blue eyes. I supposed that Esme must have told her to the put contacts in so the officers wouldn't notice her newborn blood-red eyes.

"What happened?" one officer demanded. He was tall and lanky that couldn't have been older than 25.

"I punched a wall by accident," I sighed. "It was a total misunderstanding."

Both of the officers narrowed their eyes when I saw Edward come down the stairs and into the living room. I gritted my teeth and clenched my hands into fists. "Would you excuse me? I have to have a word with my s—wife's younger brother," I said heading up to Edward.

Edward sighed. "Can we talk in my room?" he murmured the question.

I nodded and let him lead the way up to his room. It was the first room on the second floor to the right. Edward went inside and held the door. After I had gone in, he closed it almost angrily.

"You think I did it?" he demanded, his once-again topaz eyes blazing with fury. "You think I would betray this family and turn her in?"

"Betray the family, no. But Edward, I know you called the police on her. It's obvious!" I exclaimed. "Stop trying to hide it and admit that you called the feds on her."

Edward rolled his eyes. "And what are you going to do?"

"Try and get them out of here. We'll have to move out tonight because of this. I just got a job at the hospital. I'll have to resign," I said folding my arms across my chest unhappily.

Edward sighed. "Maybe I should've stayed away."

"Just… shut. Up," I instructed him and left the room. I went downstairs. I knew it was impossible for a vampire to have a headache, but if I had ever been close to having an immortal migraine, it was then. So many thoughts were rushing through my head. One part of my brain was deviously thinking of ways to punish Edward for this. That same monster side was thinking about running away with Esme back to Isle Esme and just have as much sex as possible before it was too late. The more logical side of me was trying to figure out what lie to tell the officers about what had happened. Another side was thinking about the Volturi. If they found out that we were making a disturbance as great as this in the human world they would be one there way here on the next flight. Another part was telling me to just kill the cops and make a run for it with Esme.

As I finally made my way into the kitchen where everyone else had apparently retreated to, I stumbled across a conversation I had obliviously blocked during my thinking.

"Has he ever hit you? Or shown any physical abuse to you?" the officer asked. I hid behind a corner, listening. At first I thought he was talking to Rosalie, then I heard Esme answer.

"No! Of course not! He's my husband and he loves me!" Esme replied, sounding outraged.

They were talking about… me? A growl rose in my throat. _How dare he think that I'm not better than Charles!_

"Ma'am, it's okay. I'm a police officer. You can tell me if he has. He won't hurt you," he promised. "I have gun on me and I can shoot—"

"Are you mad? He's my _husband_ and you want to shoot him? Believe me, if he had done anything malicious toward me, I would tell you, but he _hasn't!_" Esme growled.

I decided it was time I made an appearance. I entered the kitchen and tried not to glare at the cop. "Sir," he addressed me formally. "Would you please step up against the wall, feet apart."

"You're… you're arresting me?" I asked in disbelief, but did as he said as he moved my arm so I was standing like that.

He patted me down in a search, to find nothing of course. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in the court of law."

Esme was watching with horrified eyes. "Why are you arresting him?"

"For kidnapping," the officer said.

Suddenly, there was a blur and Edward came into the room. He grabbed the officer who had just locked me in handcuffs and snapped his neck. The other officer took out his gun and fired it at Edward. The bullet bounced off him like a rubber ball. Edward growled and ran toward him. He also snapped his neck. The other two officers ran in and fired at Edward and Esme. Esme gasped and ducked under the counter. Fury raged inside me. I broke the handcuffs and lunged for the nearest officer as Edward got the other. I had my hands around his neck. It would've been easy to snap it, but I hesitated. Edward had already killed the officer with the ginger mustache. I held the other almost in a hug around his neck. I couldn't do it…

I let him go. The officer gasped and collapsed to the floor. Edward ran up and ended his life with a quick blow to the back of the neck.

"We have to burn the bodies; it's the only way they found find evidence. We'll have to burn the house too… Take the cars with us or abandon them," I said and moved the bodies into the living room. Esme was already in our bedroom collecting all our clothes. She then ran up to the second floor. "Edward, we have to bite them," I instructed. "Our venom is highly flammable."

Edward opened his mouth as if to let out a harsh retort, then closed it and bit two of the officers. I did the same. Their blood got into my mouth. I felt the frenzy begin but struggled to ignore it. I left as much venom as I could in the two corpses before gathering everyone outside. We set the house and the cars on fire, then ran off into the darkness with suitcases full of whatever clothes we had.

A/N: Yep, Edward called the feds on Rose, and Carlisle nearly got arrested for kidnapping. XD Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading! Please continue to follow and review!


	15. Chapter 15: Nomads

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Fifteen - ****Nomads**

After the fiasco in New York, we took no chances. We became nomads—moving place to place, never staying in one area too long to attract attention to ourselves. My sex life suffered severely from this new lifestyle. Everyone had a difficult time speaking to Edward without yelling at or scolding him. I couldn't even look at him. Esme's dresses were all ripped now and showed a lot of skin. It didn't help my case.

Three months of constant moving took its toll not only on me, but also on Esme and Rosalie. Esme, I could tell shared my desire to ditch the kids and head to a hotel, but Rosalie constantly complained about her hair. She would complain that she was dirty, her hair was a mess and her clothes were ruined.

All of our tempers seemed to be on a ticking time bomb. Even though I tried to remain calm and be the referee of our coven, at times it was very difficult. Even my beloved Esme seemed to be on edge lately. She'd lash out at everyone, even me.

I thought about other nomads. How could they live like this? Then again the point of being a nomad was living alone. I faintly remembered my newborn times when I pestered and older vampire named Alistair, desperate for company, when he just wanted to be left alone. Nomads usually didn't have annoying surrogate children, or an amazing, sexy, and inviting wife.

"Edward! Stop stepping on my dress!" Rosalie snapped, breaking my train of thought.

Edward let out annoyed hiss. "If you would stop thinking about your messy hair and start walking faster, maybe I wouldn't step on your God-damned dress so much!"

"Edward, watch your mouth!" I warned from the front of our group. Rosalie was behind me, Edward behind her and Esme at the back…

Edward just rolled his eyes and passed me up. At that moment, I thought I saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye. Turning, I looked out into the Nebraskan forest to see nothing. I stopped and stood there, my eyes narrowed in concentration. Rosalie past by me, muttering something unintelligible under her breath. Esme stopped when she reached me. "What's wrong, Carlisle?"

"I… I swear I saw something move…" I whispered. "Go with Edward and Rosalie. I'll be right back," I instructed and went to move but she grasped my arm.

"Carlisle… you don't think the Volturi…"

After all the things I had been considering—nomad, rogue, hostile—I did not once think that this vampire (I knew it had to be. Nothing else could move that fast) could be from the Volturi.

"Hurry," I said more urgently. "Catch up to them. I'll go see if it is."

Esme nodded and went down a slight slope to Edward and Rosalie who had stopped. I looked down at them. Edward was looking up at me. If I hadn't known Edward for so long, I wouldn't have been able to see the fear in his eyes. Rosalie started asking Esme questions.

Deciding not to wait any longer, I darted off toward where I had seen the movement. It took a good five minutes for me to find a trial. I wasn't a very good tracker. The scent was not like that of the Volturi. It smelled like woods, spruce trees, and must. Looking around quickly, I followed the trail deeper into the forest.

There, I finally came along a man. He was lying in a clearing, staring up at the sky. He had long sandy blonde hair that was tied back in a ponytail behind his hair. He looked to be about 6 feet, maybe taller. He looked tall and lanky. It didn't take long for him to catch my scent. Almost as soon as I arrived, he was off the ground and looking at me.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice that was surprisingly high for how he looked. He had to be at least a year or two older than Rosalie.

"My name is Carlisle. My family and I are just passing through," I said calmly as he approached.

"My name is Garrett and this is my territory. Get out," he growled.

"As I said before, we are just passing through. I just wanted to make sure you meant no malice to us," I told him, looking at him gently.

Garrett scratched his neck as if he had an itch. "I mean no harm to you or your coven as long as you do not wish harm to me."

"Of course not," I promised.

Garrett paused and thought for a moment. He looked at the ground, his eyes narrowed in thought, then he looked back up at me. "Can I meet your family?" he asked warily.

"Sure," I said in resignation. It would most likely give my family some peace of mind that the Volturi are not hunting us and Garrett might be interested in joining us. Maybe he could be a mate for Rosalie or a companion for Edward.

I led Garrett back to the others. They were still in the same place I had left them. When Esme saw me approaching, she looked relieved until she saw Garrett behind me. She tapped Edward on the arm and he looked up at me and narrowed his eyes at Garrett, most likely searching his mind already. As we neared, he murmured something to Esme I didn't bother to pay attention to.

"Everyone, this is Garrett. This is apparently his territory," I explained.

"Oh," Esme said weakly. "We're sorry we're in your territory Garrett. We were just passing through, as Carlisle probably told you."

Garrett nodded. "He did mention that, but I paid more attention when you were talking," he said smoothly moving closer to her. "What's your name, babe?"

"Mrs. Esme Cullen," I growled through clenched teeth.

"Missus," Garrett muttered. "Dammit."

"Quite unfortunate for you, but she is my wife," I told him stiffly.

"Sorry," Garrett said and looked at Rosalie. "And you are?"

"Back off you son of a bitch," Edward growled. "First you hit on my mother, now my sister?"

"Edward!" Esme hissed. "Watch your mouth and be more respectful."

I felt sorry for feeling so, but the monster inside me also felt protective of Rosalie and Esme; especially Esme. The monster snarled and growled at Garrett. It had a sudden desire to rip him apart limb from limb. I looked over at Garrett. The man actually looked amused at Edward's attempt to make him back off. The monster let out a snarl of anger.

"Trust me, kid," Garrett chuckled. "You don't wanna get frisky with me."

Edward's lips curled back in a snarl.

Garrett opened his mouth to say something, but Rosalie cut him off. "Why don't you shut your big mouth before you make him lose it? You'll regret it," she warned.

Garrett looked at her and got closer and smiled crookedly.

Esme exchanged a startled look with me. I moved forward to pull Garrett away but Edward beat me to it.

"Can you at least control your thoughts?" Edward snarled.

Garrett turned toward him. "You read minds?"

Edward narrowed his eyes suspiciously, then looked at me for approval. I thought for a moment. What if he was a power-seeker like Aro? Aro wasn't the only vampire out there that sought vampires with powers for personal gain. In fact, I remember when Aro took me to Egypt to meet a man called Amun who also changed people for their talents. He had been the one to change Demetri, who was now with the Volturi Guard for his superior tracking skills.

I gave him a curt nod deciding to trust Garrett not to be one of those vampires. I could tell he was a lot of things—crude, vile, a womanizer—but I did not see him as an Aro-type. I saw that he was more curious than ambitious. His eyes did not light up with hunger for Edward's power when he had heard.

Edward nodded.

Garrett's eyes lit up with interest. "Interesting… do the rest of you have powers as well?" he asked.

Esme shook her head, as did I, but I looked at Rosalie. I had not bothered to check if she had any supernatural ability when I changed her. Rosalie just shook her head. I promised to make it a point to test her to see if she had any powers.

"Neither do I," Garrett commented, "but I've met other who have… None of them could read minds though… One was a good tracker, but most of their talents were more hidden. One could sense where leadership stood in a group, and another… well I wasn't quite sure what her power was, but I was certain by the way she acted she possessed one."

I exchanged a glance with Edward, and then cast a furtive glance and Esme and Rosalie who stood side-by-side. Esme had a hand on Rosalie's arm as if cautioning her, or comforting her.

Edward looked a bit worried. "They were… hostile toward you?" Edward managed to get out.

My eyes met Esme's.

"Yes, but they left about a week ago. They might still be in the area… One, a man with hair like mine, likes to play games… He's the tracker… Kills for the pleasure…" Garrett murmured half to himself.

My eyes drifted around to see the faces of Rosalie, Edward, and Esme—the faces of my family. They were in danger with those nomads being nearby. What if the two men went for Rosalie or Esme like Garrett had?

"Thank you for your information, but we should probably be moving on," I said rather quickly.

Garrett nodded. "If you want, there's a hotel just on the edge of the forest to your west," he said.

I felt the monster inside me purr with happiness. Maybe I could get Esme alone finally… Edward let out a chuckle. I looked up at him. He was smiling at me and shaking my head, reading the dirty thoughts that rushed through my mind.

If I were human, I would've blushed. I went over to Esme and took her hand. "Come on," I whispered.

Rosalie cleared her throat. "Edward and I will hunt then," she said, I knew it was meant to be a comment, but it sounded more like a generous offer. Edward nodded and went off with Rosalie.

A huge smile spread across Esme's face and she raced me to the hotel.

The rest of the day and the entire night went by in epileptic images. It was as if I was drunk and needed a good sleep. I couldn't seem to remember anything. Esme had done this to me. The moment her dress hit the floor, everything began to blur. At first, I thought I was crying, only then to remember vampires couldn't cry. Then I thought she was moving, and she was. She was coming toward me in a blur. The next thing I knew, my pants were on the floor, and Esme grasped me in her hands. She ran her hands along me—along _it_—tenderly. The next memory I had, we were on the bed, moving in the wild crazy way we had been before.

All I knew is that I felt sorry for the people in the next room. Through the night and day, we were constantly moaning and groaning; I remembered that. At one distinct point, I remembered I grabbed the headboard in my hands. The next thing I knew, it snapped in half. The pillows went next, from one of us, or maybe we both had a part in that. As the sun rose the next morning, I didn't want to stop. I wanted to keep going. I wasn't tired—I never could be. Esme didn't want to stop either. When I went to pull away, she pulled me back and kissed me deeply.

Around noon, we had been going for almost twenty-four hours and we decided to finally stop. Then, we had to face the damage we'd done to the room. Esme and I came up with an estimate of how much money everything we destroyed had cost. I left a fair amount of money so they could repair the damages and we dressed.

We left the hotel in an awkward manner, trying to act casual like what happened last night never happened. We swiftly left and ran off into the forest, to find Edward and Rosalie. I just hoped neither had killed the other with the way those two argued. They barked at each other like an old married couple.

We finally met them in the forest, Rosalie looked like she'd recently gotten a shower and Edward looked better too. "We also went the hotel… by the way, we were in the room next to you," he added with a sly grin, making Esme and I both look away sheepishly.

We kept on the move, always traveling. I was good for a month or two since the hotel incident, but I still couldn't look at Esme without getting turned on. We moved south, and after about two months, we reached Tennessee. We all decided that this was as far south as we would go. Any farther and it would be too sunny to live there for a long period.

Esme and I bought a house and I again applied for a job at a local hospital near Nashville. Esme and I spent another night and day in our new bedroom once we were able to get furniture. I think Edward was more amused than anything. Rosalie just looked jealous of us. I think she wanted a mate, but not Edward.

I got a job at the hospital after a week of waiting for their reply. It was November now. We lived more low down in the area, but snow covered the mountain tops. Edward and Rosalie brought us that news the night before I went to my new position.

Esme and I spent a long night of loving each other. When the sun rose, I got up and kissed her head before leaving to head into town. There was no accumulative snow, but I noticed that there was a slight dusting over everything. As I drove into town, I saw a young kid running along the sidewalk. He had to be in their late teens or early twenties—around Rosalie's age… The man looked quite imposing. He had the body of a man, but the face of a child. He had dimples when he smiled and short curly black hair.

"Emmett, come on!" one of the other kids, a girl in the back called. She was walking, unable to keep up with his large strides in her hot-pink high-heels.

Emmett turned around, jogging down the street backward. I eased on the brake as I approached a red light, watching the scene. "Come on, babe! You can run in those shoes! I said I wanted to go hiking and you wear those?" he laughed.

The girl rolled her eyes, annoyed. "I told you—I'm not going hiking! In case you haven't noticed it's frikken cold out here! I want to go to that restaurant you took me to last night and get a hot chocolate!"

Emmett stopped and sighed. "I promised I'd meet Paul, John and Robert out at Cherokee Forest!"

The girl rolled her eyes. "Then go!" she snapped.

Emmett didn't need to hear more. He resumed jogging down the street in the opposite direction.

A car horn blared out behind me. I accelerated quickly out into the intersection and turned left toward the hospital.

I came home that night to a frenzy at the house. Esme was outside, when she saw me approach she ran out to greet me. "Carlisle, there's been a bear attack! A young boy—Rosalie found him in the woods! He's dying!"

Jumping out of my new Mercedes, I darted into the house, throwing my jacket and briefcase on the table. The boy was on the kitchen table. I froze in mid-step. The boy was Emmett—the one I'd seen on the street earlier that day. Rosalie was next to him. His face was clawed badly, half of the skin of his cheek had been torn, but it looked like Edward had been able to sew it back on. His chest was badly destroyed. Blood was everywhere…

"I found him. I didn't think I could change him myself," Rosalie said. She looked up at me, with a pleading look in her eyes. "Please Carlisle help him!"

"I will," I promised and went over to him. Emmett groaned. Edward was by his feet looking at him, obviously holding his breath. I checked his pulse and got something faint. I leaned down and bit his neck. His blood flowed into my mouth. For a moment, I thought I wouldn't be able to stop. I always had this fear. I had become almost immune to the smell of blood, but the taste…

_No, Carlisle,_ I told myself. _You cannot drink him. Every drop of his blood counts now. Find a will._ And with that, I pulled away, leaving a reasonable amount of venom inside him.

A/N: So, Carlisle and Esme have passionate, wonderful sex, torturing other people in the hotel, and we meet Emmett and Garrett... Weird how their names our similiar. Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading! Please review and follow! :D


	16. Chapter 16: Emmett McCarty

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Sixteen - ****Emmett McCarty**

When Emmett woke, Rosalie was at his side. He looked up at her, three days after I bit him and looked at her. It was a Sunday and I had a day off work. "Are you… an angel?" he asked Rosalie. "I kept thinking that you were… when I was… What happened?" he asked sounding utterly confused.

Rosalie smiled sheepishly. "I'm not an angel… I'm far from it," she added the last part darkly. "I'm a vampire, and you are too."

Emmett sat up and rubbed his now red eyes. "Jesus," he murmured almost in awe and looked around at Edward and I who were also in the room. "Is this all of you?"

"My wife, Esme is in the next room, I'll call her," I told him, and went to find Esme. Esme was in the living room, sitting in her special chair next to my own. She was reading by the looks of it. I went over and covered her eyes with my hands. "Guess who," I joked trying to change my voice.

Esme giggled. "Mason?" she asked randomly.

I moved in front, my hands still covering her eyes. "Who is this Mason?"

"A guy I know. He's amazing at everything of course with blonde hair and a sexy body. He's even more amazing in the bedroom," Esme giggled. I had a feeling she was describing me.

"Are you sure I don't know him?" I teased.

She moved my hands away. "Let's see if you have what it takes to be Mason," she said hungrily and went to kiss me, but I stopped her.

"Later," I promised. "Emmett's awake."

Esme looked down sheepishly realizing that I hadn't come to try to seduce her. I took her hand and we returned to the kitchen. Emmett was standing up now, talking to Rosalie. Rosalie was smiling, laughing, and looking quite flirtatious. Emmett was standing looking quite proud of himself for being able to impress her.

"Emmett," I said leading Esme up to him. He turned to face us, his face going almost blank when he saw Esme. "This is my wife, Esme."

"Wow," Emmett breathed, barely audible. "I- I mean she's yours but… Wow..." he trailed off looking at Esme.

Esme giggled sheepishly. I looked over at Edward who rolled his eyes. He looked over at Rosalie and I followed his gaze. Rosalie looked extremely jealous.

Emmett talked to Esme for a moment, before returning to Rosalie. Rosalie's mood immediately brightened. "Oh, Carlisle, do you mind if I take Emmett hunting?" she asked innocently.

"Uh, sure," I told her. Then I looked at Edward. _Follow them. Keep an eye on Emmett,_ I instructed him silently.

Edward looked from the floor to the ceiling and repeated the motion once more so I knew he understood. Rosalie and Emmett left, and Edward also departed through another door to keep a close eye on the two of them. Esme didn't ask where Edward was going, and I didn't really care. We had a good amount of time to ourselves…

Esme walked casually, and slowly toward the bedroom. "Oh Mason," she called, her voice just as casual as her stride. She turned and waved me over with her hand. "Let's see if you have what it takes."

I darted over eagerly and she giggled. She opened the door and yanked me inside by my necktie.

We tried to make this one short. We both knew the kids would be back soon and we didn't want them to come home to find us having sex in broad daylight. I had a feeling Emmett would be the one who one who would never let us live it down.

We allowed ourselves a half hour of pleasure before deciding to continue that later. We both dressed and went back to the living room just as Edward, Rosalie and Emmett entered. "Did you see how huge that bear was?" Emmett flaunted.

Edward looked at me, read my mind and smiled evilly to himself. He went over and patted my shoulder almost roughly. "Is that why you wanted to get me out of the house?" he joked and went to sit on the couch.

I shook my head, looking at my feet almost embarrassed. Esme had heard too and was looking equally abashed.

"Seriously that bear was huge!" Emmett went on, oblivious to our shame.

"No shit, Sherlock," Edward almost growled. He rubbed his temples. I knew it had to be hard for him to head four different trains of thought and Emmett's blasting voice.

Emmett rolled his eyes, completely unaffected by Edward's comment. Rosalie, on the other hand, looked utterly revolted. "Why don't you take your sorry ass and move it somewhere else."

"Rosalie!" Esme warned.

Edward got up. "Maybe I will!"

"Edward," I warned and went over to him. "Don't let her intimidate you."

Rosalie was shouting things I didn't care to hear or repeat. I was scarcely aware of Emmett and Esme trying to calm her down. "Edward," I said again, almost pleadingly.

Edward looked at me and sighed. He darted over to his room in the basement, slamming the door behind him.

Rosalie followed up to her own room, slamming the door as well.

Emmett stood in shock along with Esme who was trying to fix her hair that Rosalie had messed up. "Did she lunge at him?" I asked.

Esme nodded, and finished with her hair. "Yeah… I have no idea what the hell is with her."

"Edward was following us on the hunt," Emmett pointed out.

"I know. I asked him to. What happened?" I inquired moving closer to Emmett.

Emmett sat down on the couch in the living room. Esme went to our room. The layout of our new house was a lot like our old one. Esme's and my room was on the first floor. Edward's was in the basement and Rosalie's and Emmett's would be on the second floor.

I sat down in my chair across from him. He ran a hand through his short black hair and sighed. "Well, we had just got a good distance from the house and I knew I smelt somethin' weird. Rose didn't seem to notice so we just kept on goin'. We found this deer herd and I killed one, then I heard Rosalie yelling at that… crazy hair dude and he was yelling back. She said something about his mother and the crazy hair dude lunged at her. I ran up and intercepted him. The next thing I knew, my arm came off.

"Rosalie ran over and punched him and helped me put my arm back on. Crazy hair's face was cracked and I was kinda scared of Rose at that point. Crazy hair ran off and Rose and I found a huge bear that she let me kill. I think it was the one that mauled me, personally, but it was fucking i_huge!_/i" Emmett said.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Did Edward—the Crazy Hair guy—make any other appearances?" I queried. I saw that Edward did have a point, Emmett's boastful monologue did become a little aggravating, and Edward had to hear his thoughts.

"I swore I saw him watching us from a tree. I thought Rose did too but she just let out a growl and led me on. She's sort of vivacious in a… uh… dark way, huh?" Emmett responded.

"What? Oh, yeah, sure," I murmured my reply, not really paying attention. Apparently Rosalie mistook Edward's motives just as Edward seemed to mistake my own.

Esme came out of our bedroom with a book that she took from my bookshelf in there and sat out in the living room, most likely hoping to read in a bit of company, but I knew Emmett wasn't going to let her. He was just going to keep talking about his big bear.

With much remorse, I left Esme alone to face Emmett's story of his bear. So far, I'd heard two different versions—one when they returned and one just then. Each time the story got grander. Despite my regrets, I had to speak with Edward and Rosalie. I knocked on the basement door lightly before walking down without waiting for an answer.

"I never said you could come down," Edward said. His room was the largest. His record player was on, softly whispering his favorite song—Claire de Lune.

"In case you've forgotten, it is my house," I reminded him gently.

Edward let out a soft hollow laugh. "This song… my mother would hum it to me at night before I went to sleep… My father went off to fight in the war and it was just us… She'd always play this on our piano… She's the one who taught me how to play."

"She must've been a wonderful pianist," I complemented.

"She was… She always knew more than me… I just became better at playing now that I… I have nothing else to do," he murmured softly.

I finally became aware of where he was. He sat on his bed, his legs folded, paging through a book with the lights off. I could only see his outline. The sound of Claire de Lune sounded louder as the most intricate part came on, and also the loudest.

"Emmett said Rosalie—"

"Yeah, she did," Edward muttered tossing the book into a corner and lying back on the bed. "She said that maybe if my mother wasn't such a priss, she would've survived and I wouldn't be here."

I frowned. "I'm going to have a talk with Rosalie," I assured him.

"What's the point Carlisle? The first thing she focused on when she came here is how beautiful and sexy she was. Now, the only thing she things about is herself being beautiful and sexy for Emmett. He's the only thing she wants. You're the only thing Esme wants and she's the only thing you want… I have no one. It was great when it was just the three of us. I mean sure, it was awkward some times, but at least I wasn't constantly bickering with either of you," he said softly, his voice sounding strained as if it were cracking.

"Edward," I said going over to him and sitting on the edge of the bed beside him. Edward let out a tearless sob then stopped himself. He sat up and turned away from me, his body jerking with his silent sobs. I patted his back soothingly. "Edward, son, I know you're lonely here… I know… things are difficult… but maybe… maybe… maybe you just need to find something else to do with your time," I suggested.

"I work at the hospital, Esme reads—you've read every novel there is, so that's out for you," I joked.

He let out another hollow laugh. "Maybe I could go back to school—high school I mean."

"If you want…" I would've added that Emmett and Rosalie could go too, but I knew that was the last thing he wanted to hear at the moment.

"No," he said firmly. "They can come. I meant what are the chances that we'll all have the same classes together?"

I nodded. "This is going to be weird, but I love you Edward, like a son," I told him.

He turned toward me and smiled. "Thanks… dad."

I smiled and went back upstairs to talk to Rosalie.

Rosalie was in her room, pacing in her room. I did as I had with Edward—knocked but didn't wait for a reply before entering. Rosalie looked up and narrowed her eyes. "What do you want?" she spat like a venomous snake.

"Rosalie…" I half sighed. "We both know you owe Edward and apology. It's one thing to insult a person as his- or herself, but to insult one's parents is a whole different matter," I told her.

Rosalie narrowed her eyes in distaste at the floor. "I'm sure that's easy for you to say. You probably wanted to be like this—a monster!" she snarled.

I looked down. "Rosalie, I never told anyone but Esme this, but my father and I were like a team in a way. We both worked to… eliminate vampires, werewolves and witches from the world. One day, a hunt went wrong and I was bitten… When the transformation was complete and I realized what I was, I knew my father would never accept me. I tried every way to kill myself—I tried to drown, burn, hang, crush, and splatter myself to no avail. I finally tried to starve myself, but when a herd of deer came by, I lost control and attacked them I knew then that I wouldn't kill humans, only animals. Their blood was substantial enough."

Rosalie looked at me, then away. "I never… never knew…" she whispered sadly.

"I think you owe Edward an apology," I repeated.

"Yeah, well he owes Emmett one too," Rosalie muttered moving toward the door.

Edward was already in the living room, apologizing to Emmett when Rosalie and I went downstairs. Emmett shook his head. "It's fine, Crazy Hair," he said.

Edward winced at the name. "It's Edward."

"Do you mind if I call you Crazy Hair?"

"I really do."

"Oh."

"Edward," Rosalie said, at the foot of the stairs. "I'm sorry I… insulted your mother."

"And I'm sorry I called you a bitch," Edward said.

I looked at him sharply. _You conveniently left that detail out,_ I thought to him. Edward smirked to himself trying to make it unnoticeable. He turned away and went down to his room.

"Emmett," Rosalie called hastily from the stairs. "Come on, I'll show you to your room."

Emmett jumped up. "Great!"

As Emmett and Rosalie went upstairs, I went down to Esme who sat in her chair. She tossed her book on the couch, smiling. "I never thought that would be resolved," she said and kissed my lips softly.

She pulled away and I smiled. "Neither did I," I said and wrapped my arms around her waist, holding her close to me. "I love you, Esme."

Esme smiled and rested her head on my chest. "I love you too, Carlisle… I love you so much."

I held her close to me, enjoying her pressed close to me. We stood there in our embrace for I don't know how long, but knew that neither one of us was willing to break it. It was as if we were both under a spell. That spell kept us locked in each other's arms, immobilized but at the same time content. After a while, I finally picked her up and carried her off to the bedroom.

A/N: Next chapter, Carlisle loses his temper and his perfect world gets shattered. :) Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading! Please follow and review!


	17. Chapter 17: Break Up

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Seventeen - ****Break Up**

I wasn't sure whether Emmett wanted Rosalie as a mate, but Rosalie made it very obvious she wanted him. Without my, or Esme's knowledge, she went out a purchased a highly revealing wardrobe—revealing enough to give Esme's black lace nightgown a run for its money. Edward and I always tried not to look. Edward, of course could've stared all he liked, he was single. I, on the other hand was married to a beautiful woman. If I even thought of Rosalie in that way, who I thought of as a daughter, I would deem myself a pedophile. Esme said she trusted me, but whenever Rosalie came close in one of her revealing outfits, Esme stuck close to me.

At the hospital, things weren't better. Apparently, I had acquired a fan-club that consisted of almost every female nurse at the hospital. They didn't really seem to give a damn that I was married. Many asked me to go out on dates with them, and I politely declined, repeating over and over that I was, in fact, a married man. They didn't seem to care.

In my office on evening, one of my nurses came in, closing the door behind her.

_Oh God._

"Dr. Cullen, I… need to talk to you," she purred in a seductive voice.

_Dear God give me strength!_

"Yes?" I asked reluctantly.

She came over and sat on my desk. She crossed her legs in an inviting manner like Esme does and started to take off her shirt. "Uh, Mary," I say, glancing at her nametag quickly for confirmation.

The next thing I knew, her shirt was on the ground and she was on the other side of the desk with me. I tried to push her gently away, but she was tugging on my pants, and I _really_ didn't want those to come off.

She undid my zipper and reached further into my crotch, but I grabbed her hand. "Stop it!" I growled. A part of me wanted her, and I hated myself for it. The other part, the larger one, reminded me about Esme. Esme was more important.

Somehow, she got in my lap. She started moving, giving me a lap dance that turned me on, but I shoved her abruptly off. Though, I promised myself I'd ask Esme if she could do that later. She fell directly on her right arm. I heard it crack and her let out a yelp.

Sighing, I zipped my pants and made her put her shirt back on before setting and wrapping her arm. I saw tears streaming down her cheeks.

"You know, I should have you reported for this," I murmured as I wrapped up her arm.

"No… please don't… I just…I really, really like you and I have kids to feed and pay for their schooling and everything!" she pleaded.

"I won't," I promised. "As long as you or any other of your nurse friends doesn't try that with me again. I'm happily married and I don't care to have an affair at work." I didn't even want to think of what would happen because of the fact that I was a vampire.

"Okay," Mary said softly. "Thanks for fixing my arm."

"You're quite welcome," I said with a kind smile, and left for home.

As I pulled in the driveway, I saw Edward watching me from the kitchen, already reading my mind. He looked rather alarmed. I got out and he ran out. "You didn't actually…" he murmured.

"No, of course not!" I snapped a little harsher than I meant to.

"Esme won't be happy," Edward commented.

"Yeah, I don't exactly plan on telling her," I muttered stalking back to the house.

Esme was waiting for me, sitting at the table. "Hey," she murmured softly.

"Hey," I said, walking up and kissing her head.

"Edward said you… a girl at the hospital…" Esme whispered sadly.

_Goddamn it Edward!_ I thought angrily. "Yeah, but nothing happened. I promise! In fact, I ended up breaking her arm."

Esme looked at me and smiled weakly. "I knew you'd be strong," she said and rose to her feet. She kissed my lips softly before leaving me in the kitchen, going the bedroom and closing the door behind her. I thought I felt my heart break. Esme didn't believe me. She thought I gave in to wicked temptation. She didn't think I loved her anymore.

I wanted to end my life, then I reminded myself that I might still be able to make amends with her… maybe he friends… I ran out into the forest, not bothering to tell Edward where I was going. I ran for hours, heading north. I didn't know if I planned to go to Denali or the Arctic. I decided to head over to the Denali coven to stay to them for a while. I wondered what my family would do without me. It only made sense for Edward to take over the patriarchal role. He was the second oldest vampire and the most experienced besides myself.

I reached the cabin just after midnight, by my estimation of the moon. In Alaska during the winter time, it was dark almost all the time. A fairly thick layer of snow, about a foot deep rose up around me as I approached.

Tanya was out on the porch wearing nothing more than a t-shirt and shorts. She looked up when she saw, or smelt me. "Carlisle?" she called in confusion.

I stumbled up to her through the snow. "Can I come inside?" I asked, breathless.

Tanya nodded and took me inside. "Everyone, apparently we have an unexpected visitor."

Eleazar, Carmen, Kate and Irina all looked up at me with wide eyes. "Carlisle?" Eleazar asked in a quizzical way. "Why are you up here? And without your wife?"

"She… Something happened at work… One of the nurses tried to get me to have an affair. Edward found out and told her, and now she doesn't believe that I didn't," I half whimpered. I felt like a total whimp for confessing all of that in front of them, especially Eleazar.

Tanya rubbed my back soothingly. "Come on Carlisle, I'll take you upstairs," she murmured and took my hand, leading me up the stairs though I was perfectly capable of walking myself up.

She took me to the room Esme and I stayed in. It didn't soothe the pain at all. She led me inside, closed the door and flipped on the light. She was in a low-cut shirt and short blue shorts. She sighed. "Carlisle, you're a mess," she muttered. "Give me your shirt and pants, keep the undies, I'll wash them and have Eleazar bring you some of his clothes to borrow," she said.

She helped me slip my shirt off over my head. For a millisecond, I thought I felt her rub the palms of her hands up my chest as she helped. I was relieved when she let me do my pants on my own. I slipped them off, her eyes not moving from my almost nude body. She smiled weakly as I handed her my damp, snow-cover pants. "I'll bring up some of Eleazar's clothes in a minute," she promised and left me alone in the room.

When she returned, she had changed. Instead of being in her shorts and shirt, she was in a very inviting nightgown. I wondered why until I realized—it was for me. "Tanya…" I sighed.

"No, the girls and I are going out tonight to pick up some guys. I just wanted to drop these off," she said defensively. She moved toward me, much closer than she needed to me and handed me the clothes. She was so close… I could feel her warm breath on my face, her lips were close enough to touch…

I jerked away just as she moved in for the kiss. "Leave," I half-whispered, clutching the clothes to my chest.

"Carlisle—"

"Get out!" I hissed in rage.

Tanya didn't move an inch. I growled and dressed in Eleazar's clothes angrily. "I told you to get out Tanya!" I growled.

"It's my house. I can go wherever I want!" she growled back, raising her voice.

"Carlisle Cullen!" an annoyed voice came from down the hall.

Esme walked swiftly into the room followed closely by Edward. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded. "And with this bitch?" she asked glaring at Tanya.

Tanya shrugged and walked off.

"Oh, so now you just assume every time I'm in the room with another woman I'm cheating?" I growled, my temper flaring.

Esme narrowed her eyes. "Maybe it's not a foolish as it sounds!"

"What are you implying?"

"You're not the only one that's been pressured by the opposite sex to do things with someone who isn't their spouse!" Esme growled, her topaz eyes hard, and cynical.

My temper melted away at that. "You mean… you've…" I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Esme's face softened seeing my reaction. "No, but… I've been pestered…" she murmured.

"Yeah, now you know how I feel! I swear I didn't do it Esme! I swear it! I never cheated on you! I never will!" I promised.

Esme sighed. "I had a feeling, but you didn't have to go darting off to Timbuktu in the middle of the night!" she snapped looking annoyed again.

"Sorry."

Esme smiled weakly. "Can we please go home?"

"Sorry," I murmured. "I can't Tanya has my clothes. These are Eleazar's. My clothes got half destroyed in the snow. Tanya said she's wash them."

Esme sighed. "All right. I'll stay here with you then. Edward, go home. You're in charge," Esme said. Edward gave her a brief nod, and left, closing the door behind him. Esme and I were alone in the room.

"I really am sorry," I murmured quietly, backing away toward the bookshelf. "Will you find it in your heart to forgive you."

Esme looked at me and gave me a coy smile and looked at the old record player. "You know I will," she whispered softly. "You know, when Edward told me you'd left… I thought I would die… I'm sorry for leading you on that I didn't want you anymore, but I always will Carlisle. I love you with all my heart. You know that right?"

I looked at her, my heart fluttering, and the monster purring. "I always knew… in a way… I just… you seemed too good to be true. Then… Well, when I saw you walk away, I sort of figured that I'd taken your love for granted, and I felt bad for that… You always felt like a dream—like heaven on Earth. You, of course, are the closest to Heaven I'll ever be."

Esme smiled widely. "I love you."

"I love you too, and you don't know how happy and relieved I am to hear you say that," I replied.

She giggled and went over to me and hugged me softly. I returned the hug and kissed her lips softly. Esme returned the kiss just as soft, moving her arms up so they were wrapped around my neck. Somehow, we got to the bed. My shirt was off and so was hers. I couldn't remember how. I was completely absorbed by her. I realized how lucky I was to be exposed the beautiful, unknown-to-man plains of her body. I cherished every moment, every touch, every groan and shudder each of us gave. I cherished ever feverish kiss, ever nibble she gave to my ear, every movement we made.

I didn't know when dawn came, the weather and darkness outside still remained. Esme and I didn't seem to care if it was morning or not. We didn't want to stop, but then again we didn't want to go twenty-four hours especially with a house full of vampires and their over-sensitive ears that hear things that are meant to be kept private.

When I went to pull away this time, Esme allowed me too with a look of reluctance on her face. I sat up on the bed, not ready to get dressed just yet. Esme sat up, her hair ruffled from our movements on the bed. She moved closer to me and snuggled into my chest happily. "Sometimes I wish we were back on Isle Esme," she murmured.

"So do I. One day, we'll go back. We have the rest of forever," I reminded her.

"No measure of time will ever be long enough—not even forever. I'll always want you. The passion will never die. That's utterly impossible," Esme told me, kissing my bare chest. "If I ever lost you…"

I closed my eyes trying not to think about what would happen if she lost me or if I lost her. "Don't think about that. You won't. I'll protect you, and I promise I won't die," I vowed quietly.

"I know, Carlisle," she whispered. "I know."

When Tanya gave me my clothes back the next day. After I returned Eleazar's clothes, Esme and I said our good-byes and our thank you's . Then, we left for home. I didn't want to go. I didn't want to face Emmett, Rosalie and Edward. I didn't want to be embarrassed by them. I made a stupid decision and it would come back to slap me in the face. I thought about that nurse and wished I could kill her.

It didn't take us long to return. When we reached the house, we entered through the back door that led into the living room. Rosalie, Emmett, and Edward were all standing there. Emmett looked vaguely amused, Edward remained impassive, while Rosalie had her arms folded across her chest looking annoyed.

"Everyone… I'm sorry for what happened. I… I made a foolish decision and I won't do it again," I muttered.

Emmett shrugged. "Okay. Good?"

"It's fine Carlisle," Edward assured. "It's only natural, I suppose. When you love someone that much…"

Rosalie didn't say anything.

Esme looked at her. "Rosalie?"

Rosalie looked at me, and nodded. "I agree with Emmett," she murmured and moved closer to him. Emmett wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Come on, Rose," he persuaded. "Carlisle's real sorry."

Rosalie looked at Emmett and nodded. "It's okay," she said, glancing at me, then back at Emmett. "Come on, let's go to our room."

I looked at Esme and arched an eyebrow. When they got upstairs I smiled a little. "So now they share a room?"

Esme shrugged. "I guess."

"Yeah, they… uh… hooked up while you too were gone. Emmett finally gave in to temptation and I think he enjoyed himself. So now they're, quoting Rosalie, 'an item'."

Esme smiled. "Well I'm glad she's finally found someone who will make her happy," she said optimistically. "Maybe her attitude will improve."

"I hope it does," Edward muttered and retreated the basement.

Esme sat in her chair and I sat in my own beside her. She held my hand, running her thumb along my knuckles, massaging them. I smiled and kissed her hand. "I'm glad Rosalie and Emmett are together now. I can only hope you're right about her attitude… Poor Edward; he's surrounded my love with no one to love himself."

"He's been alone too long," Esme agreed.

We sat in our chairs in contentment. I watched the snow fall outside, blanketing the ground with the white flakes. Esme was, once more, more interested in me. She played with my hair, shirt and pants. I then remembered what the nurse did to me in the hospital. I was half excited, half upset. I told Esme and about it. When I asked her if she could do it, she laughed. "Carlisle, you got a lot of nerve," she teased, but took my hand and pulled me out of my chair. She led me to the bedroom in a flash.

- - -  
>AN: Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! Please review and follow! :)


	18. Chapter 18: Diasters

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight**

**Chapter Eighteen - ****Disasters**

If Esme and I were hard to break apart, I had no idea what you would call Emmett and Rosalie. They almost never left the bedroom, only to hunt. Esme and I even found them a bit annoying. Edward suffered the worst. He had to listen to Esme and I and Rosalie and Emmett.

One night, I came home from work. Emmett and Rosalie were in the kitchen. Rosalie was up against one of the walls, her shirt on the floor, and Emmett about to take off her Bra. Emmett was completely nude.

I gasped and looked away. Emmett pulled away and looked awkward. Rosalie tried to hide herself in Emmett's chest. "Get out of the kitchen," I managed to say, trying not to look at either of them.

Esme walked in from our bedroom. "What the—" she broke off as she saw Rosalie and Emmett. "Good God! Get dressed and come back down here! We need to have a talk!"

Rosalie and Emmett weren't the only ones a little surprised and frightened of Esme's words. If she was going to have the sex talk with them, I really didn't want to be there. As far as the 'sex-before-marriage' concept, I didn't think Esme and I had a right to enforce _that_ on them since we didn't uphold that one.

"You too, Edward!" Esme shouted downstairs. "Get up here."

I heard Edward let out a groan and he walked reluctantly up the stairs and appear in the living room. I slipped my jacket off and followed Esme into the living room. She stood in the center of the room, her arms folded across her chest huffing in anger. Edward flopped down on the couch and crossed his legs. I sat in my chair doing the same.

Rosalie and Emmett returned, dressed, thank God. Esme motioned for them to sit. They sat down next to Edward on the couch. Esme looked at them, her back to me. "Look, you're all old—well you always have been—old enough that I think we need to have a talk."

"Esme," Edward groaned. "Must I be here for this? I don't even have a girlfriend!"

"Edward," Esme said warningly.

Edward rubbed his temples and stared at the floor as Esme gave them the sex talk. She told them that if they wanted to do it, they had to be in their rooms—nowhere else in the house. That went for us too, she said, giving me a strict look. I wanted to raise my hands in confusion and ask her what I had to do with Emmett and Rosalie having sex in the kitchen, but didn't, deciding i_that_/i was just too dangerous.

After a fairly detailed talk about why this was so important, the kids were dismissed and I was left alone with Esme. Edward looked utterly repulsed and confused as to why he had to suffer through that. Rosalie and Emmett really didn't seem fazed by Esme's lecture and just darted up to their room to continue what they'd started in the kitchen.

Esme sat in her delicate flower-pattern chair beside me and held my hand just as she had about a week and a half ago. "I have work tomorrow," I reminded her quietly.

"I know. Edward wants to know where we're moving to next so he can apply at a high school," Esme commented, pulling her hand away. She smoothed my blonde hair back against my head, then rubbed my neck soothingly.

I smiled. "I'm not sure where. I figured we should head back up north maybe about a year from now; maybe to Oregon."

"Sounds nice," Esme commented and kissed my neck. "Want to go to our room?"

I smiled widely. "I've been waiting for you to ask!" I chuckled and jumped up. Esme giggled and did the same. She darted off to our room and I followed eagerly. I untucked my shirt on entry, she yanked it over my head a little roughly.

She smiled. "Talking about it all that time made me want you more," she giggled.

I smiled back. "Great," I said.

We undressed quickly and moved to the bed. I couldn't stand it any longer. I needed her. I was extra rough that night for some reason. Esme didn't seem to care, in fact, she seemed to enjoyed it. Everything went by so quickly. One moment, we just fell back on the bed, the next, the sun was rising.

As I got ready for work, I Esme watched me. "Carlisle…" she whispered. "Do you smell something?" she asked looking at the door.

I sniffed the air quickly and indeed did smell an unfamiliar scent. It was a vampire, I knew that much. "Vampire…" I murmured half to myself. I went toward the door cautiously after fixing my tie.

Esme covered herself quickly, her eyes wide with alarm. I knew she was thinking of Charles. "He's dead Esme. I promise, he won't hurt you anymore," I soothed. "Besides, I think it's a nomad just passing through—smelt our scent and wanted to see what so many vampires were doing living the woods like this."

She nodded and ran over the closet, pulling a dress on. I opened the door, hoping it wouldn't creak. It didn't. I went out into the living room and peered out one of the windows furtively, not wanting to be seen by whoever was out there. Edward emerged from the basement a second later. "Carlisle," he whispered in such a low frequency only vampires could hear it.

"I know," I replied in the same tone. "But the more I smell it… I think I recognize it…" I murmured half to myself.

"The Volturi?" Edward asked urgently.

"I don't think so… Unless they've sent someone, knowing we wouldn't recognize their scent, but…" I replied and went outside. I heard Edward hissing urgently for me to get back inside, but I simply ignored him and continued out into the forest.

The forest was dusted in a thin layer of frost. It looked like a winter wonderland, if only there were an inch or two of snow on the ground. The trees were glazed with the icy substances. A few flakes cascaded down from the canopy above, landing silently in my hair. I scanned the tree line, looking for movement or some figure. When nothing made itself known, I resorted to looking up in the trees. I focused on the scent, trying to absorb it. I wanted to remember that scent, like a tracker.

Esme's sweet smell washed over me as she came up beside me. "Carlisle," she whispered. Her voice was strained, and worrisome. I could scarcely hear Edward heatedly telling the tardy Rosalie and Emmett what was going on back at the house. I glanced over at my wife, her caramel hair, swaying away from her face in the soft November breeze. No words needed to be said—I knew her worries. She was thinking of Aro, Charles and all the other threats we've faced. I wrapped an arm around her waist soothingly. "I will protect you. I promise."

She nodded and moved closer to me so our bodies touched. I tried to focus on the intruder's scent again, but I couldn't detect a hint of it.

At work, I got invited to a doctors' year end banquet. All the doctors in the region were invited to attend. It was a week from that day, on the second of December, and since Esme and I had no plans, we both decided to attend.

On the evening of the banquet, Esme locked herself in our room. She said her dress was a surprise. I stood in the living room with Edward. He helped me fix my tie as we stood. "I'll leave. She's gonna be out any minute," he told me and retreated to the basement.

Esme emerged a second later, in a sexy, black sleeveless top that was low cut. She wore a very short skirt that was nowhere near her knees. It hung loosely from her hips, covering enough, but showing too much. She smiled and twirled around for me. "Do you like it?" she giggled. I stared at her legs that were curtained in black pantyhose. She looked at me and giggled. "Stop it," she teased.

"Sorry, but I'm defenseless against the dress," I joked, still admiring her legs.

Esme rolled her eyes playfully. "It's a skirt," she corrected.

"It's a belt."

Esme laughed and went up. She shoved me playfully. "You pervert."

"You provoked it," I joked and kissed her cheek softly. "Come on. We're going to be late," I murmured softly and took her hand.

Esme and I drove to a large dance hall in Nashville. A valet parked our car when we arrived. Esme and I entered through large double doors to come to a reception area. A woman in a bright blue dress sat behind a desk, scribbling stuff down in a book. She glanced up momentarily from her work and looked us up and down. "You two here for the doctor thing?" she asked, returning to her work.

"Yes," I replied, my arm tightening around Esme's waist.

"Sign in," she said, her eyes moving up from the book to another book on what looked like a music stand. I went over and saw the names of various doctors and their wives. I took the pen that was in a holder and signed our names in my distinctive calligraphy. Esme smiled and watched my hand move over the paper.

When I was done, the woman told us to head down a long hallway and the banquet room would be at the end. I could hear opera music blaring out of static-filled speakers as Esme and I walked down the hall. Esme smoothed her belt-skirt and I kept my arm tight around her waist, knowing men would be all over her.

We entered a brightly decorated dance room. Streamers were strung along the walls, meeting at bows every five feet or so. Inside the bows, were candles that gave the room an amorous mood. Tables were set up on one side, on the other there was a large dance floor. Men and their wives were already out dancing. The woman wore either extremely long or extremely short skirts like Esme. I recognized the song playing—La Traviata. Esme looked around. A doctor that worked at my hospital approached us, flanked by his wife that wasn't as beautiful as Esme, but close. She wore a long red dress, and clutched her husband's hand with discomfort.

"Carlisle," he greeted as he approached me.

"Robert," I returned the greeting, shaking his hand firmly. He kissed Esme's hand lightly. "It's a pleasure to finally meet your wife."

"Same here," I replied, "this is Esme."

"And this is Rebecca," Robert replied looking at his wife. I kissed Rebecca's hand formally, unlocking my arm from Esme's waist, only to replace it quickly.

Esme spent the majority of the night dancing. Since we couldn't eat the human food, we restrained from it, declining their offers politely. We insisted that we were on a special diet that was required for our health. The cooks and other doctors did not object.

Halfway through the evening, a familiar scent found its way to me. I looked up from resting my head on Esme's while we danced. I saw Edward standing at the entrance of the dance hall. Esme smelled it too. She looked up and over her shoulder at him. She looked at me nervously.

"Who's the kid?" Robert asked appearing beside me.

"Esme, why don't you go enjoy the rest of the festivities while I speak with Edward," I murmured and went over to him.

Edward's topaz eyes were hard and annoyed. He looked at me, and there was a hint of regret in his eyes. "We have to move—now," he muttered.

"Now? Just drop everything and leave? What the hell is this about, Edward?" I demanded getting annoyed that he not only ruined my night out with Esme, but also was being so vague on why he was there.

"Emmett killed someone," Edward said in a low frequency so only I could hear, Esme being too far away.

"What?" I gasped.

"He and Rosalie went out hunting and they ran into a group of hikers. Emmett… His 'singer' was in there. When he smelled the guy, he went into a frenzy. He killed four guys, and two girls," Edward told me in the same tone.

I cussed in the normal tone. "Dammit. Damn him!" I muttered louder than I meant to. "I'll have to go get Esme. We'll go to Oregon, that's where I was planning. _Damn it!_" I swore and walked swiftly back over to Esme who was talking with Robert.

Esme looked at me urgently, seeing my distressed look. She moved in front of me and touched my shoulders. I suddenly felt that every nerve ending in my body was a live wire. "Carlisle, what's wrong?" He touch soothed me.

"We have to leave. I apologize Robert, but I really must leave you now," I told him, pulling away from Esme and taking her hand. "Come on. Let's go."

I left Robert shouting his good-byes behind me as Esme and I met up with Edward in the reception area. We went outside. Esme and I got in our car as Edward darted off into the night. I pulled out of the dance hall parking lot and floored it. The car's engine whined in protest, but sped off toward our house.

Esme and I reached the house, furious, and worried. We went inside. I had to explain to Esme what a 'singer' was. "It's when a vampire meets or smells a person. That person's blood appeals to them in ways you can't imagine. It's worse than the normal thirst for human blood. The only thing you want to do is kill that person. The thirst is too overwhelming. They're like your own personal brand of heroine."

Emmett was in the living room pacing, looking dismayed. When he saw us came in, he looked at us with wide scared eyes. "I'm sorry! I didn't know what happened! Something just came over me!" Emmett said quickly.

"Emmett—" I began harshly.

"I already told him about singers, Carlisle," Rosalie interjected quickly. "You know how it is. You've seen it happen, you've probably been through it."

I had met my singer. It took everything I had not to kill her. It was a woman… Her scent was so overpowering. There was nothing more I wanted than to kill her… That woman was Esme. When I met her, she'd fallen from a tree. She was sixteen and I fixed her broken leg. Touching her, being so close to her blood nearly killed me. I was a younger vampire. I nearly killed her that day, but I kept myself from doing so. I kept looking at her beautiful face, trying to remind myself that she was just a child—a vivacious, care-free girl that wanted nothing more than to have fun in life. I believed that was what saved her and me that day. Later, when I met her in the hospital, I was almost immune to human blood, her scent didn't have such an effect on me.

Emmett looked from me to Esme, and back again. "Please! I'm really, really sorry!"

"I know," I sighed. "We'll have to move. The last thing we need is an investigation. First, what happened in New York—we've probably got unwanted publicity for that. If anyone finds out about this, it'll be all over the news. No, I was the wrong, the last thing we need is for the Volturi to come after us."

Edward looked up from glaring at Rosalie, or Rosalie's thoughts. His eyes were wide and his face dismayed. "I'd forgotten," he murmured.

"Carlisle, they'll kill us. They'll take Edward and kill the rest of us!" Esme gasped.

"I know. We have to leave—now. Burn the house if we must. Leave our possessions except for a few light things, like photos of family or something along those lines," I instructed and looked at Esme's hand to make sure she had her wedding ring.

"Why are we leaving our things?" Rosalie asked sounding taken aback.

"Because, Nancy Drew," Edward snapped. "If we leave almost all our things, it will make it more believable that we died in the fire."

Rosalie glared and went up to her room to get something. Emmett followed her, looking downtrodden and hollow.

"She's gonna bring her hole frikken room," Edward growled and went down to the basement.

"Do you have anything in particular you want to take?" I asked Esme when we were alone.

Esme shook her head. "Just you and my ring," she said smiling weakly. "But I think I'll change into something more comfortable," she commented looking down at her belt-skirt. I nodded and followed her into the bedroom. I put on an old white t-shirt and khaki pants to match. Esme changed into her white dress and kissed my lips softly. The room was dark, and her scent was everywhere now. I kissed her back feverishly. I didn't want to lose her. I couldn't live without her. Esme locked her arms around my neck, tugging on my hair, and ultimately turning me on.

I pulled away quickly. "Let's not get carried away now," I murmured softly resting my forehead on hers.

Esme nodded briefly. "You're right," she agreed and pulled away. She took my hand and led me to the door.

A/N: Tempers are boiling again. XD Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading. Please review and follow! :D


	19. Chapter 19: Oregon

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Nineteen - ****Oregon**

We burned the house and cars the ground. We departed for Oregon at about midnight, leaving no trace of our presence behind. Esme and I led the way. This second journey was not like our first. Edward and Rosalie were not constantly bickering. Emmett was talking with Edward and Rosalie a lot. Esme held my hand and walked at my side.

We reached Oregon about a week later, not running the entire way, and stopping to hunt, and occasionally restrain Emmett from attacking nearby humans. The winter got harsher, the farther north we trekked. The Oregon winter was harsh, and as Christmas quickly approached, we wanted to get a house soon.

Esme and I bought a house that was in the woods. It was a log cabin like Tanya's but on the inside, it did not have the mountain-men's décor. The walls were slates of wood that were stained and smooth, and keeping out the harsh winds. There were two floors. Esme and I made our bedroom on the first floor in a room that had originally been chosen to be a study, with bookcases and a desk in the corner. We kept the furniture that had already made its home there, and just a moved a bed in. This made it convenient for me since my bedroom doubled as my workspace.

The first thing Rosalie and Emmett did was move a bed into their room upstairs, and seclude themselves inside for the rest of the day. Edward muttered curses under his breath as he too went up to the second floor to settle in his new space. Esme and I left for the local shopping mall to buy clothes for all the members of our family. I had to borrow Edward's jacket, and Esme Rosalie's so we wouldn't look like crazy people walking around in the middle of winter with no coat.

Esme took me to a store that was full of teen clothing. She bought an entire wardrobe for everyone except for the two of us. I paid for the clothes, though Esme protested, saying she should since she bought them all. They were quite expensive, but I told her that money was nowhere near a problem where I was concerned. We didn't have to eat, or need other human necessities, not to mention the fact that between Edward and I we were billionaires.

She then took me to more adult-styled stores. Esme let me have free reign here to decide what I wanted for myself. I chose a couple pairs of trousers, a few shirts and a jacket or two. Esme got a lot of dresses and a few pairs of shoes. Seeing that, I did the same.

After that, I took our many bags out to the car while Esme went to a lingerie store. I pouted when she told me to wait for her in the car, but agreed. I wanted to see Esme inside that store, but maybe she was right. If she wanted to try anything on, and if I saw, I wouldn't be able to stop myself. Esme came out to the car no less than ten minutes later. I had already sent in my admission forms to the local hospital ahead of time, knowing it would take a few days to get the results. I was starting to get tired of doing so much paperwork. She put a bag in the backseat and got in the passenger's side. I drove off back toward the house, thinking.

She looked over at me, her caramel side-bang falling over half of her face. "Are you okay, love?" she asked. I could detect a hint of nervousness in her tone.

Secretly, I was thinking about the strange scent we smelled in Tennessee, but I knew I couldn't tell her that. I wanted to. I didn't want there to be any secrets between us, but I didn't want to worry her. Here, we could start a new life together. Edward had applied at the local high school along with Emmett and Rosalie. They'd be out during the day, Esme would be alone to do whatever she wished and I would be at work. I started to wonder if she'd get lonely.

"Nothing, sweetheart," I promised taking one hand off the steering wheel and holding her snow-white hand. "Just thinking," I murmured stroking her knuckles softly.

Esme gave me an unconvinced look but didn't push the matter further. As we pulled into the driveway, Edward was outside with Emmett. I was surprised that Rosalie was nowhere in sight.

We got out of the car and Esme went over to them, leaving me to get the bags. I got them and took them, trying to focus on their conversation. Then, I heard Rosalie talking to someone upstairs.

"_Why did you come here in the first place?_" Rosalie asked heatedly. Then, I recognized the same scent Esme and I had smelt that one morning.

A high-pitched girl's voice that I originally thought was Jane's replied: "_I wanted to ask you a few questions. My mate and I just wanted to know. We've been following you for a while. Jasper—my mate—doesn't want to hunt humans anymore, so I've been looking for vampires who—_"

Rosalie cut her off. "_If your mate is so convinced that he can't drink humans, then where is he? Why is he not here with you to hear the answers?_"

The girl let out a small sigh. "_Well, technically he doesn't know me—I know, I know, but that's my power! I can see the future based on peoples' decisions. I'll meet him later today in Chicago, and we'll come here in a week where that… uh… the man with the blonde hair—_"

"_Carlisle,_" Rosalie corrected.

"_Yeah, he will tell us we can join as long as we follow your ways! The point is, I want to know—__"_

"_If we really drink animals?_" Rosalie cut her off again. There was a pause and the girl started to say something I couldn't catch, but before she could finish, Rosalie stopped her. "_Wait! Carlisle and Esme are home! They're the leaders of our coven. Get out of here!_" Rosalie hissed.

The girl must have left, since I heard no other words uttered. I made my way to the stairs, stopping at my bedroom to put Esme's our stuff at the foot of the bed. I then went upstairs. The scent of the unfamiliar vampire was still strong. I would recognize it now.

Rosalie just walked out of her room and saw me. She jumped as if she hadn't heard me come up the stairs. "Oh, Carlisle," she said with mock surprise. "I didn't know you were home."

"Rosalie, I don't mean to be rude, but do you honestly think I'm that stupid?" I asked, annoyed.

Rosalie looked down. "Look, Carlisle," she sighed.

"Rosalie, that vampire could've been a danger to us all and you just let her in the house? What if she was a member of the Volturi? What if she tried to kill one of you?" I demanded.

"Emmett and Edward were here," she pointed out. "It's not like I didn't have protection, or take precautions!"

"Look—" I broke off as Esme came up the stairs behind me.

"What happened?" she demanded, looking at Rosalie. I assumed she heard most of the conversation. "What's this about letting a vampire in the house?"

"Esme," Rosalie groaned. "Her name was Alice! Her and her mate wanted to know more about us. It wasn't like it was guy vampire or anything."

"Rosalie, Carlisle's right. You need to be more careful," Esme agreed. "Despite the fact that Emmett and Edward were here, you still had no idea what that vampire's intentions were when you let her in the house."

Rosalie let out an annoyed hiss, but before she could say anything, I jumped in. "Besides, why were you talking to her? I left Edward in charge here."

"You never said that," she protested.

"It should be understood. Edward is the second oldest vampire, and when Esme's home, she is in charge," I told her. "Edward is more experienced than all of you."

"Yeah, and Edward also used to hunt humans!" Rosalie snapped.

"He never killed good people, only bad ones," I reminded. "And don't start on Edward!"

"Carlisle," Esme cautioned. "Just let it drop."

"Why? She could've been killed! And why the hell are you defending her? I'm your husband! You should be siding with me!" I demanded. My temper was boiling now. It was like I could feel a thin wisp of steam come out of my ears as I lashed out at everyone, calming down slowly.

Esme's eyes changed. She looked down. "I'm sorry. Excuse me," she whispered and went downstairs.

As Esme left, my anger deflated. I felt Rosalie's stony gaze rest on my back, as I turned and walked away from her. Edward and Emmett stood at the bottom of the stairs. Emmett's mouth hung open in shock, but Edward's face was full of remorse and sadness. "You've done it again, Carlisle," he murmured.

I darted to the back door and ran out into the setting sun. As the sun continued to set, the colors faded leaving the sky an awkward shade of gray as twilight set. I ran, trying to hunt, but with little success. I kept scaring the prey away, and even though my eyes were black, I wasn't interested in blood at the moment.

Walking along, I got blanketed in snow as it began to cascade gracefully from the sky and onto my hair and clothes. I finally collapsed in an open field. I think this was the first time in my life I felt tired. For some reason, I wanted to die. Edward would've been able to take care of the family… Maybe Esme would be better off being Edward's wife, even though she was much older than him. She would please any man.

Why did I have to be such an idiot? Why did I have to shoot off my mouth and hurt Esme's feelings? Esme was everything to me, and I just had to go and treat her like that. It was stupid temper. I considered seeing a therapist about my unfortunate problem.

I stared at the sky, watching the snow covering me slowly. Maybe if I stayed there over night I would get buried and have the rest of winter to just get away from everything. I laid there for over an hour before rising and heading back home.

When I reached home, Edward was in the living room looking at the floor. He didn't look up when I entered. "Where is everyone?" I asked quietly. The only thing you could hear was Emmett and Rosalie upstairs.

"Rosalie and Emmett when upstairs. Esme went out. She said she'd be back later," Edward told me and sighed. He then went upstairs to his own room, leaving me alone.

I decided to stay up for Esme and apologize to her when she came home. I had no idea what would be in store for me, but I needed to tell her I was sorry.

I waited. I waited for a sound—the sound of a car engine approaching from the distance—for a voice; something. I looked at the clock every now and then.

7 PM.

8 PM.

9 PM.

10 PM.

11 PM.

12 PM.

1 AM.

2 AM.

The door opened and Esme walked in a few minutes after one. I jumped to my feet when she came in. She looked at me, startled. She was wearing the belt-dress again with a low-cut black shirt. She looked at her feet, which were positioned in high heels.

"Esme," I breathed. The anger welled up inside me. "Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"

"I know. I know," she said incoherently. "I know it's late."

"Late? It's been nearly eight hours, Esme!" I snapped.

Esme narrowed her eyes. "What are you? My father?"

"I'm your husband, and I don't appreciate you running off in the middle of the night to God-knows-where!" I snarled.

"You don't appreciate it?" Esme growled back. "Oh, and I bet you think I love it when you go running off too! You and your fucking temper can get the hell away from me!"

It was only then that I noticed we were attracting a small crowd. Edward, was at the foot of the stairs with Emmett and Rosalie behind him, both in robes. I growled at them. "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT? GO BACK TO YOUR ROOMS AND LEAVE US ALONE!"

"Don't you DARE yell at them!" Esme screamed. "It's not their fault their father has a temper like I don't know what!"

"Then why do you put up with it?" I snarled.

"Don't think I will anymore!"

"Then leave!"

"You first."

"Fine!" I yelled and ran to the back door and ran outside into the cool air, leaving my family behind me.

A/N: Carlisle and his temper has done it again. I knoew Carlisle was never presented like this in the books, but this is my Carlisle. XD Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! Please review and follow! :)


	20. Chapter 20: Christmas Present

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Twenty - ****Christmas Present**

A few days passed. I checked into a hotel and just stayed there all day. I thought about Esme. I thought about Edward, Rosalie and Emmett. I missed them. I wished I could talk to them. I tried calling Esme, but she would never answer. Edward answered, say he couldn't talk and hang up quickly.

On Christmas day, I went back to the house with my Christmas gifts for everyone. When I neared the house, I saw Edward on the front porch. He looked at me with sad eyes. "Carlisle… I think you should leave…" he whispered.

"Edward, I just want to talk to her, and I have presents for everyone," I said, holding them close.

"Carlisle…" he warned.

I went up and brushed past him. As I entered the house, I saw a large Christmas tree that had been set up in the living room. Rosalie and Emmett looked up when I entered. Esme was nowhere to be seen.

"Esme," Rosalie called.

Esme emerged from what had been my room in a robe. "What?" she asked, then she saw me. Her eyes widened.

"Esme?" a man's voice called from the room. A tall, muscular man came out, a towel wrapped around his waist. I smelled his blood. He was human.

I dropped the gifts in shock. The beautiful glass gift I'd bought for Esme shattered. Edward came in behind me. "I told you."

"Esme…" I breathed.

Esme pulled the robe tighter around her chest. She looked at me with sad eyes, then at the human. "Robert, I think you should-"

"_Robert?_" I yelled. I recognized the doctor I had worked alongside in Tennessee was now living in Oregon, and sleeping with my wife.

"He left his wife and came to Oregon. I met him when I left," Esme said and moved closer to him. "You should leave Carlisle."

I stared at her. "Esme…" I whispered. "Please. Don't do this."

Esme looked away. "Robert, wait in our room okay?" Esme said and kissed his cheek softly. She then went up to me and led the way outside. Once outside, she sighed. "Why did you come back?" she whispered.

"I love you, Esme. I was wrong to yell at you like that and I want you back. Please," I begged.

Esme looked at me, her golden eyes tortured. "Carlisle… I can't live like this… Control your temper or say good-bye to me."

I looked at my feet. "I'll try harder. I swear. If you could just give me some time…" I pleaded. "I'll do anything."

She let out a sigh. "Carlisle… you're just… Robert—"

"Is a human," I reminded. "How long do you think it will be before the Volturi find out… I might have to visit them."

Esme looked at me, her eyes alarmed. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Esme…" I whispered. "Please… You don't love him."

Esme let out annoyed hiss. "Maybe I don't… I still love you. I always did."

"I love you too. Please let me come back. I miss you," I told her. I moved closer and wrapped my arms around her. Then I remembered that she'd been with another man. I started to pull away, but her arms held me tighter. Then, I realized that she was sobbing.

"Oh Carlisle!" she cried. She buried her head in my chest. "You deserve better than me. I know you left, but I told you to! Maybe if I had been a better wife—"

"Esme, don't," I told her firmly. "You are everything to me. It was my fault. I shot off my mouth and hurt your feelings."

"I'm the one that had to go find someone else!" she sobbed tearlessly. "At least you stayed faithful… You did stay faithful… right?" she asked quietly.

I nodded. "I could never give anyone else my love. You are my heart, my life, my soul… As I've said before, you are everything."

Esme cried into me. I didn't even notice Robert appear in the doorway. He stared at us, my arms around Esme, cradling her to my chest. "Get the fuck away from her!" he growled and walked up. He tried to shove me away, but I remained immobilized. He was only human.

"Robert," Esme sighed. "Go home."

"What?" he asked, sounding hurt.

"I'm in love with Carlisle. I was just… just using you to get him back," Esme whispered sadly.

"Is that true?" I asked her in a whisper.

Esme sighed and nodded. "That was all it was. The first night—the one you yelled at me—I didn't sleep with him; I went to a night club and danced with a few girls I met. After you left… I felt bad, but I knew you'd be watching. I wanted to make you jealous so you'd come home… Robert said he'd stay if I would have… you know…" she whispered.

Robert stared. "You lying little bitch!" he snarled and stalked up to her. He went to hit her, but I grabbed his hand and twisted it the wrong way so it broke.

Robert let out a scream. I shoved him to the ground and kicked him in the ribs, making him yelp. "If you dare call her that again," I warned in a snarl.

"Edward! Emmett!" I shouted into the house. "Escort him out, please."

As Edward and Emmett also gave their fair share of beatings to Robert, I took Esme inside, an arm around her waist. She smiled happily. "I've missed you so much, Carlisle."

Rosalie smiled when she saw us. "Here, Carlisle," she said and gave me a sealed envelope. I opened it and inside was a brochure of a fancy college in near a town called Forks in Washington. "You know, maybe it would be wise to brush up on the new technology being used," Rosalie offered. "Forks is also a great town for vampires. It rains a lot and there's hardly any sunshine. Even in the summer."

I looked over the brochure briefly. "Sounds nice, Rosalie. Thank you," I said and gave her a soft hug. She hugged my back. I went over to where I had dropped my own presents and picked up a small wrapped box and gave it to her. Rosalie smiled and unwrapped it.

She gasped when she saw the large diamond dangling from a solid gold chain. "Oh my God, Carlisle," she breathed. "How much did this cost?"

I shrugged. "It's doesn't really matter? Does it?" I asked. She hugged me tightly. I thought I saw Esme flash a jealous look at her. When Rosalie pulled away I looked at Esme. "Sorry, my present for you broke when I dropped it."

Esme looked down sadly. "Sorry," she whispered.

I kissed her forehead and helped her open it anyway. It was, or had been, a beautiful, styled glass picture frame. In the frame was a sepia-colored picture of our wedding picture. I stood with Esme at my side. We were hand in hand with Edward on my left side looking half bored and half amused. Esme was smiling widely as well as myself as she had her head on my shoulder.

Esme smiled widely. "Carlisle…" she breathed, then looked down, her smile fading. "I don't deserve this… or you… I cheated on you."

"I don't care," I murmured. "As long as you love me, for me," I told her and kissed her head softly.

Esme wrapped her arms around me tightly. "Please… don't leave ever again."

"I won't," I promised.

"So," Emmett's voice sounded from behind us. "You two together again?"

Esme and I turned to face him. I smiled and nodded, my arm around her waist.

"Nice," Emmett commented.

"Emmett," I said casually walking toward him and reached into my pants pocket and took out a set of car keys. Emmett's eyes widened.

"No way," he breathed.

"It's a new car—not even released yet. It's a Jeep Wrangler; red one," I told him. "It's at a garage downtown Salem. You and I can go down tomorrow and pick it up."

Emmett wrapped me in a bear-hug. "Oh! I love you old man!" he said happily. Everyone else laughed as Emmett spun me around. "No way!" he kept saying. "No fucking way!"

I chuckled as he finally set me down. I looked at Edward. He was standing in the living room doorway, his arms folded across his chest. He looked amused, smiling crookedly with one eyebrow arched. "Do I get a car too?" he joked.

Chuckling, I picked up another present from the floor. Edward unwrapped a record. "Debussy," he said smiling, reading the label. "This is his greatest songs. Thanks!" he said and hugged me gently.

"You're welcome."

I was finally happy. I was whole again. I had my family back. I had Esme and my adopted children. Later that night, Esme took me to our bedroom to reestablish our bond, which I enjoyed thoroughly. As dawn broke, I felt like nothing could ruin that moment, but a growl from outside changed everything…

A/N: Well, Esme and Carlisle are back together, and I ended it with a cliffie. XD Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading! Please follow and review!


	21. Chapter 21: Wolves

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight**

**Chapter Twenty-One - ****Wolves**

I pulled clothes on and went outside to the living room. Edward and Emmett were already there. Emmett was shirtless as he looked through the windows trying to see where the growls had came from. Edward looked rigid. "They communicate by thought," he murmured.

"Who? What? Where?" I asked, obviously disoriented. Esme's scent was everywhere on me. The thrill of what I had just been doing had not yet worn off, giving me an epileptic feeling.

"Werewolves," Edward replied somberly. "From La Push up near Forks."

Esme came out of our room in a robe. "Werewolves?" she asked. It was clear that she was trying to keep her voice steady, but it changed pitch constantly.

"Apparently," I whispered. "Esme, Rosalie stay in the house. Edward, Emmett and I will go out and try to speak with them. If anything happens to us, run. Don't try to save us. Save yourselves."

Emmett and Edward nodded in agreement. Before the girls could protest, I opened up the back door. I crept out, silently. A growl rumbled from a nearby bush. I stepped out, looking around. The stench of dog made me fight the urge to gag.

Edward came out beside me. "His name is Ephraim Black," Edward muttered.

"We come in peace," I told the wolf. A large, get-black wolf emerged from the bushes. His amber eyes glistened under the moonlight.

"He thinks that you'll harm the people in the town. He also believes you might more farther north. This all their territory apparently," Edward spoke for the wolf.

"We don't hunt humans like others of our kind. We kill only animals. We were planning on moving farther north, but we will not hunt any humans on your land. I promise," I told him.

I searched the black wolf's eyes. I didn't want to hurt the werewolves, but if they threatened my family, especially Esme, I would have to. I glanced at Edward. Edward stared at the wolf, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "There are more of them hiding around the house," he confirmed.

Emmett let out a low his, but I shot him an angry look. Their scent suffocated me. I tried not to breathe. If Emmett insulted the werewolves, we'd all be in trouble.

The black wolf Edward called Ephraim let out a low growl. He retreated to the bushes and came back a man. He was tall, tan, handsome and shirtless. He wore a loincloth around his waist. He looked around at us. Emmett was staring at his loincloth with wide eyes. Edward was looking at his brother, slightly amused.

"Forgive me. It is quite a bother carrying a full set of clothes around. We've traveled a long way. One of my wolves smelled your scent. We traced it here. I felt the need to phase and speak to you in my human form. My other wolves are circling the house, however. It would not be wise for a bloodsucker in your position to—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Emmett growled. "Back the truck up. Bloodsucker?"

Ephraim dipped his head. "Sorry. It's what our tribe calls the… cold ones," he replied, choosing his words carefully.

"Well you better not—"

"Emmett!" I snapped, glaring at him. "Not one more word from you! Understand?" I growled.

Emmett sighed and nodded, glaring at Ephraim.

"You apparently know who I am," Ephraim commented. "How?" he asked narrowing his eyes.

I stepped forward. "My adopted son, Edward is a mind-reader," I explained. "I am Carlisle, leader of our coven." Normally, I would've stretched out my hand to shake it, but something told me this werewolf had no interest in getting more than a foot close to me without killing me.

"Greetings, Carlisle," he pronounced my name syllable my syllable which sort of annoyed me. I saw amusement flash in his eyes when he saw my annoyance. "I will allow you to come and live north, as long as you stay away from La Push. Whenever you move north, we can divide a territory line, as long as you follow your promises."

I looked around at my family members, shooting a quick glance back at the house to see Esme and Rosalie peering out of the windows. My coven was big enough.

"How many of your kind are there here?" Ephraim asked.

"There are five, but any vampire willing to adopt our ways will be welcome," I told him, gently. "Shall we make a treaty?"

The werewolf alpha nodded. "Tomorrow at this spot in the evening—just before the sun sets," he said firmly.

I gave him a brief nod. "Until then will you and your wolves leave us in peace?" I inquired calmly.

The alpha nodded. He phased and let out a howl. Emmett grimaced. The black wolf pelted away into the trees and out of side. "Wolves," Edward half growled. "So primitive."

"Edward," I snarled quietly. "Come on, I have work today, and Edward, you should be registering at one of those schools you were talking about."

Edward shrugged and started back toward the house. Emmett followed closely behind, muttering something about "bloodsuckers". I scanned the tree line, looking for signs of more werewolves. I circled the house three times, and even went a good ways into the woods. I found tracks, but no wolves. I was not willing to leave Esme unprotected while I was at work, and the kids were registering at a school.

After a good ten minutes of checking everything, I sighed in resignation. If I didn't know better I would've guessed that the wolves had disappeared into thin air. They must have been extremely fast, or extremely skilled in masking their scents and disappearing without a trace.

When I returned to the house, Esme flung her arms around me. I was a little surprised by her greeting, but hugged her back just the same.

"What took you so long?" she asked, clutching a clump of my hair.

"I just wanted to make sure they were all gone. I didn't want you here alone all day, or at least half a day were werewolves in a five mile radius," I told her, kissing her head softly.

"Please," she teased. "It'll be like they're still here with that smell," she replied wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"Agreed," I told her. Their stench seemed to be hanging in the air, even inside the house. I felt relieved that I would escape it for eleven hours, but I felt bad for Esme.

"I'll be fine," she assured me as if she could read my mind. I shot a glance at Edward who was smirking and shook his head.

"She's getting good at reading you Carlisle," he commented, jokingly. "She knows you almost as well as I do."

Esme smiled sheepishly. I kissed her head soothingly as the sun was just peaking over the eastern mountain range. The scenic view and aura of the area seemed to calm me, even if ten minutes ago, a pack of massive werewolves were circling the house.

Edward rolled his eyes as Rosalie and Emmett darted up to their room for a quick good-bye. For a moment, I was prompted to take Esme to our own room and do the same. Edward chuckled as he heard my thoughts.

"You know, some things are private Edward," I snapped.

Edward laughed louder and departed to his room upstairs. Esme kissed my cheek. "If you were thinking about what I was thinking about," she whispered and grabbed at my crotch, making my entire body shudder. "Go for it."

Without another word, or moment of hesitation, I swept her off her feet and darted to the bedroom.

I knew that fifteen minutes wouldn't be enough to satisfy the both of us. Neither of us wanted to stop when I risked a look at the clock. I pulled away. She pouted and sat up from lying on the bed. She combed her fingers through her now messy hair. I rose and pulled on underwear and pants. She watched me dress, eyeing my trousers longingly. I couldn't help but grin. "We have the rest of forever," I reminded her.

"Forever isn't long enough," she complained with a smile.

I smiled back, and against my better judgment, went over to her. I wrapped my arms around her still perfect and naked body. I held her against me in a hug. "I love you," I murmured softly in her ear. I kissed her head gently. "Be safe."

Esme ran her fingers through my hair. "I love you too. Don't worry about me," she assured. "I'll be fine, love."

"I could always ask Emmett to stay behind. Rosalie might not like the idea, but if you—" Esme put a finger to my lips to cut me off. She moved closer still to me and kissed my lips softly, but it still sent a thrilling shock through my entire body.

"Carlisle Cullen," she said firmly when she pulled away. "I. Am. Fine."

I searched her face for a moment. So many things were buzzing around in my head like an angry bee. The Volturi, for one thing. Even though it was highly unlikely, what if they paid a visit to America? What if there was more newborn trouble in the south and they had to intervene? What if they traced our scent here and paid Esme a visit while she was alone? Aro might've been married, but it didn't mean that all the members of his guard were. Esme wouldn't be able to fight them all off… What if they did something unspeakable to her?

And then there was Robert. A highly unlikely candidate to cause trouble for vampires. Unless Esme told him about the Volturi and he went to visit them. They probably would've changed him into t a vampire—making him a newborn, and stronger than Esme. The Volturi would also come to end Esme for telling a human.

And of course there were the daunting threat of werewolves coming and killing her during the day. Though the werewolf alpha seemed true to his word, there was just some aura about them that I didn't trust. Maybe it was because that it was a fact that werewolves and vampires were mortal enemies. Or maybe it was because that I, like my sons, were probably prejudice to werewolves and untrusting of their, as Edward put it, "primitive" ways.

Edward was right. Esme knew my body language, and knew me well enough to guess my thoughts by now. "Carlisle," she said half-warningly. "Don't worry about me."

I sighed in resignation and kissed her forehead. "You know that's impossible. You're always on my mind, whether I'm worrying about you, or thinking about… other things," I said teasingly.

Esme ruffled my hair. "Concentrate on saving lives. It's one of the things you do best… but I can think of another, that's more useful… and more rewarding," she said suggestively with a smirk.

Rolling my eyes playfully, I pulled away from her. "See you tonight Esme."

A/N: Well, we finally meet the werewolves. :) Hope you enjoyed. Please continue to follow and review! Thanks for reading!


	22. Chapter 22: Treaty

**Notice: Please read the Author's Note at the end! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Twenty-Two - ****Treaty**

At work, I nearly lost my mind worrying about how Esme was doing at home. I had to have called home five times during the day. I even took an unneeded lunch hour to go home and see her. My unexpected, unusual visit made it awkward for both of us. Esme had been singing and trying to teach herself how to play Edward's piano when I came home. She was in her gorgeous green dress. Even though it didn't show that much, I had more than enough room in my vampire mind to work up an image of what was underneath.

"Carlisle," she sighed when I walked into the living room. She had come down from Edward's bedroom, but I could hear her playing from outside with my sensitive hearing. "You didn't need to come."

"I was worried," I replied innocently.

She narrowed her eyes. "I told you not to be."

"Oh screw that! You know me Esme," I reminded her.

She frowned for a second before letting out a sigh. "I was playing Edward's piano."

"I heard."

"Will you tell?"

"Esme, he can read minds. I'm nearly positive he already knows. Even if he didn't he would've been able to smell you," I told her, smiling slightly.

She rolled her eyes at my smile and sat on our small, three-seat white leather couch. She crossed her legs. What I had not seen about her dress was that it had been split up the side. When she crossed her legs, a fair part of skin became exposed.

Following my gaze, she uncrossed her legs and did her ankles instead. "If you think that while you're here you're gonna get something, you might as well walk right back out that door."

Sighing, I looked away. "I didn't mean it like that… why the hell are you in a dress like that anyways?" I asked, changing the subject… slightly…

"Because it was in my closet," Esme said, rolling her eyes at my poor attempt. "I bought it in plain sight of you, remember?"

I sighed once more. "Sorry."

Esme let out a faint sigh and rose to her feet. She strode over to me. "How long is your lunch break exactly?" she asked. She was close now, her face maybe two inches from mine. Her hands ran along my chest, stroking it, and stopping at the buttons and twisting them but not undoing them.

"I thought you told me not to expect something," I reminded, wrapping my hands around her waist. "Weren't you… mad?" I asked brushing my lips along the side of her neck, trying my own idea of seduction.

I felt Esme's body shudder. She pulled me closer to I saw the floor behind her. I ran my hands lower, below her waist. She giggled and pushed me away. First pulling, now pushing. "Make up your mind," I teased.

Esme smiled, a brilliant smiled that ignited the burning flames of passion in my heart. I loved her smile—it was so pure and genuine. I studied her beautiful facial features. Her body was just as beautiful; tall, with long legs. It was skinny, but had curves in all the right places. Her long caramel hair was draping down her back, a few strands in front, along her shoulders.

"Your lunch break," Esme reminded me.

"Half-hour," I said. "I'm a doctor and I never take any so…"

Esme smiled. "Good." With that, I didn't see exactly what she did, but the next thing I knew, the dress was on the floor. She didn't even have a bra on. The only thing that was covered was the most important part in the whole procedure.

My eyes widened slightly. I was a little in shock of what she had just done, but I was in no mood to resist her. Ever since Esme suggested that I had come home to a scene like the one I was experiencing at the moment, I had been unable to drive the dirty thoughts away.

I slipped my shirt off quickly, and she was suddenly there. She stripped me in a flash, and then we were on the couch. Her panties were off and I was inside her. She groaned in pleasure, making me do the same. At least a half-hour was longer than fifteen minutes.

No measure of time would ever be long enough, but those few, short minutes we had been getting together that day just tortured the both of us. Esme told me she felt ashamed afterward because we broke her rule—no sex in anywhere in the house but your bedrooms. I smiled and kissed her head. "Only Edward will know," I joked.

She shoved me playfully, giggling. She sat up and looked around as if she'd never seen the room before. She looked at me, who was also sitting on the couch, still naked. She ran a gentle hand along my upper leg, and kissed my cheek. "Take a lunch break more often," she teased and got up.

I looked at her dress. The bottom had mud along it; my own clothes that I strewn across my room looked similar. "Do you know how to run a washer and dryer?" I asked looking at my room quickly, then back again.

"No, of course not, I still was my clothes by hand," she teased.

Smiling, I rolled my eyes playfully. "I don't mean to ask too much, but can you, or else I'll do it later, wash some of my work clothes?"

Esme smiled. "I never thought to do that, but you just gave me something to do!" she said, sounding happy. She kissed my lips softly and darted to our room.

When I got home that night, I could already hear Emmett and Rosalie copulating in their room. Suppressing a sigh, I entered the house. Esme and Edward were in the kitchen trying to stuff cotton balls in their ears. I chuckled when I saw them. Esme giggled and pulled them out. "It was Edward's idea."

Smiling, I hugged my wife and shot my son, a concerned look so Esme couldn't see. _Any sign of the wolves?_ I asked him silently.

Edward shook his head, for a moment, I thought I saw a worried look flash in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared. I pulled away from Esme and kissed her head. Esme smiled. "Edward knows," she murmured.

I smirked to myself and looked at Edward. He was smirking as well, and shaking his head. "I have half a mind to tell Emmett and Rosalie, but I won't. I'll just never sit on that couch again," he joked.

We all chuckled, until a growl made us freeze. Esme clutched at my shirt, knowing, and remembering the deep, rumbling sound we'd heard that morning. Edward, bravely took my place and went outside first, scanning the tree-line. I followed swiftly, running a hand through my hair. Esme had my other hand and was squeezing it uncomfortably hard.

As I exited the house, Esme followed. I opened my mouth to tell her to go back inside, but she shot me a look that clearly stated she wasn't going anywhere. With that, I wrapped my arm tightly around her waist. She clung to me just the same. I could sense that her body was tense.

Edward cast an annoyed glance back at the house. "Where the fuck are Emmett and Rose?" he wondered aloud.

"Watch your mouth!" Esme scolded, her face hardening slightly, then returning to its half-terrified look. She had my shirt grasped in her hands. If she were human, she would've been trembling.

A few moments later, Emmett jogged outside, shirtless. "You couldn't grab a shirt Don Juan?" Edward half growled.

Esme shot him another look.

Rosalie emerged from the house in a short skirt and button-down shirt. It was nearly transparent, and she was not wearing a bra. While Emmett stared longingly at her breasts, I averted my gaze to the ground, trying to forget what I'd just seen. Rosalie didn't seem bothered, but Esme seemed appalled. Edward was looking away at the ground, as was I, obviously trying to expel the memory from his mind, but somehow, I had a feeling he was also experiencing Emmett's longing thoughts, only making it worse.

"For the love of God, Rosalie," Esme scolded. "Put on a more suitable shirt! There are men out in those bushes—werewolves, that I'm sure don't want to see your…" she trailed off, not wanting to say the real word.

Edward was braver. "Breasts. They don't want to see your breasts."

Esme just rubbed her temples in a distraught manner. I could hear her swearing under her breath as Edward and Rosalie had one of their little episodes. With Esme clearly disturbed by all this, I stepped in. "Rosalie, Esme is right, go make yourself look more presentable, Emmett, stop looking at her and smirking. For God's sakes Edward, you're in the presence of two women, control your language!"

Emmett sighed and looked away, still smirking. Rosalie gave me a brief glare full of hatred and retreated to the house to, hopefully, change into something more respectable. Edward shot me an agitated glance. "What the f—heck," he saved, seeing my expression, "did I say that was so dirty?"

"You know exactly what."

"And come on, little bro," Emmett added, turning to face Edward. "You can't really say them unless you've touched them."

"Emmett, shut the fuck up," Edward snarled.

"Bullshit," Emmett chuckled. Then he saw Edward's heated gaze. "Aw hell, are you gonna make me?"

"SHUT IT!" Esme shouted. "They're nearly here. I can smell them."

I sniffed the air, and sure enough the stench of dog was overpowering me as they neared. Moments later, a man emerged from the trees. I recognized him as Ephraim, the pack's alpha. He was still in his loincloth. The more I saw it, the more I realized how little it really did cover. Esme acted like she didn't notice.

Ephraim looked from Esme who was staring at a space behind him, to me, to down at his own waist. He cursed. "Fuck. If I knew a lady was gonna be here, I would've—"

"There were ladies last time," Edward growled through clenched teeth.

"They were in the house," a deeper voice rumbled from the trees. Another man, also dressed in a revealing loincloth emerged.

"Ah," Ephraim said, looking at the other tan, muscular man. "Allow me to introduce my beta, Levi Uley. He's my second-in-command. He, my more senior wolves and I will be in human forms."

Two more men emerged. Ephraim introduced them as Quil Ateara and Edmund Clearwater. Ephraim was obviously kind, but firm. He had his pack in control, more so than I could say for my own family. None of the others questioned him. He was honest and seemed to be trustworthy of keeping his word. Despite all this, there was something about his cheery attitude that reminded me a bit too much of Aro.

"Now, on the grounds of the treaty," he said, as if reminding himself. When he spoke this time, all the playfulness in his voice had faded. You and your coven swear to be different from other vampires, correct?"

I nodded. "We only hunt animals. We never hunt humans on purpose," I replied. I thought about Esme's slip-up, her first day as a newborn vampire. I remembered Edward leaving and becoming a true vampire. I was the only one in my family that had never killed a human. Rosalie had killed, but she hadn't killed for blood, so in a way, she was also clear. Emmett had killed his singer in the woods in Tennessee, causing us to flee.

"You don't kill humans at all?" Ephraim asked.

I heard Rosalie suck in an uneven breathe. Emmett rubbed her back. I hadn't noticed when Rosalie had returned. She was in one of Esme's shirts—I recognized it since I nearly always paid attention to what Esme was wearing, so I would be able to think of a good, quick way to get it off.

"No," I said calmly after casting a few furtive glances at the faces of my family.

"You don't bite, or change them?" he asked. His piercing brown eyes stared straight through mine. I felt Esme's grip on my shirt tighten. I heard Edward's breathing turn labored. That category was all on me.

"I used to, but only when they were dying. I never changed a healthy human that was not in danger of any sort," I said trying to keep my voice steady. "My family is big enough as it is. I think we'll be content with this size… I will not bite any more humans," I promised the alpha.

Ephraim searched my eyes in an Aro-like way making my skin crawl. "In our eyes, biting someone is taking away their soul. Therefore, we see biting as similar to killing. But, there is something about you I trust, so very well. If any of your coven bites a human, the treaty is no longer valid, and we will kill any Cullen."

I resisted the urge to shudder but nodded. "We will also stay off your land. Would it be alright if when we go north to Forks, that we could work out a boundary line?"

Ephraim nodded. "Of course."

Then I noticed that the one werewolf—Quil I think his name was—was scribbling down the conditions on piece of wrinkled paper.

Esme was watching him. His loincloth was strewn to the side exposing everything. I snaked my arm around Esme and pulled her closer. Edward was also watching the young man. I knew that he was also wondering if the young man was aware that his manhood was showing.

The werewolf either didn't notice, or didn't care. Ephraim was unaware that his younger counterpart was in such a… position if you will. "We will not kill any of your family as long as you stay true to your words. When you come north, we will work out more details of this treaty. See you soon."

Ephraim looked around at his pack, then phased, his loincloth ripping in the process. The others, apart from Quil who was still rolling up the parchment, phased as well.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed. I enjoy writing Edward and Emmett's humorous arguements. Thanks for reading! Please follow and review!

**Just to give you an idea, the story will end when Edward meets Bella for the first time in Forks, then there will be and epilogue that is post-Breaking Dawn. :)**


	23. Chapter 23: Alice

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Twenty-Three - ****Alice**

A few months passed. Winter melted into spring and we remained in Oregon. We still hadn't heard from Robert or the Volturi, and I felt myself begin to relax. About a month before, Esme had kicked Rosalie and Emmett out. She built them a house and kicked them out. They'd broken the rules too many times and were getting trouble in school.

Yes, Edward somehow got those two into school with him. They'd nearly been kicked out a few times for having sex in the boys' locker-room between classes. Esme had become fed up with their antics. I had to admit that I was too. Emmett and I kept having more and more fights about the situation. I usually dealt with him, while Esme went to Rosalie, and Edward laughed his head off.

Emmett and Rosalie destroyed that house in a few months, however. To Esme's distress, they asked her to build another, which put me over the edge. Yelling like I'd never yelled before, I told them to get out and not to come back until they learned to control their… urges.

So, it was just the three of us again, as Edward said "like back in the good old days". Edward was at school, and I was at work during the day, so I knew that Esme had to get lonely all by herself.

She would visit me often at work, then at home, the first thing we'd do was go to the bedroom. One day, I was at work, in my office, and she paid me a visit.

Esme opened the door making me look up. When I saw her, I smiled. "Hello, love. What are you doing here? Is something wrong?" I asked, suddenly concerned.

She smiled. "What? It is a felony for a wife to visit her husband at work?" she teased, closing the door behind her.

Smiling back at her, I looked back down at my papers. I scribbled my signature down on a couple of reports. Esme came over and sat in my lap. I rolled away from the desk and back toward the wall. Esme smiled and kissed my lips softly, cupping my face in her hands.

I kissed her back softly, wanting to keep it fairly formal, but Esme had other ideas. She started to unbutton my shirt, slipping my doctor's coat off. I couldn't help but grin. "Esme… I'm at work."

She ignored my words and slipped my shirt off so I was bare-chested. "Esme," I warned as she reached for my crotch.

Giggling, she got up and went over to the door. She locked it and closed the blinds. She went back over and unzipped my pants.

Deciding to enjoy the benefits of having a persistent wife, I helped her get her shirt off. The next thing I knew, we were on the floor. I wasn't sure how it happened, but it did. A good hour or two went by before we decided we'd been in the office long enough.

Rolling off her, I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her forehead before sitting up to get dressed. "That was fun," Esme giggled as she pulled her shirt over her head.

I chuckled. "It was." It hadn't been the first time we talked, but we hadn't exactly been keeping up a conversation either.

When Esme was completely dressed and I was as well, she went to leave, but gasped. "Oh my God!" she gasped.

I jumped up from my chair. "Esme," I breathed. "What's wrong?"

"Carlisle…" she breathed, staring at the corner. "Is… Is that a video camera?"

Looking up, sure enough I saw the glistening lens of a camera in the corner. "Shit!" I swore and rushed out of the office. "Head home," I called over my shoulder at Esme, irritation pricking through me. _I could lose my job over this!_ I though in annoyance. _If Esme never would've come… No. Better she's sleeping with me and not Robert._

I headed to the security ward, hoping to be able to destroy the tape of Esme and me before anyone saw. As I burst into the room, most of the security guards were inside watching as one rewound the tape of Esme and me.

I growled and slammed the door closed behind me.

They all looked up. One reached for his gun. I let out a hollow laugh. "Go ahead. Shoot me. We're in a hospital!" I snarled. I glared around at them all. "So you decide to look at my wife naked, huh?"

Most of them shook their heads, except for one who nodded. A security guard close to him, slapped him in the head to make him nod.

Growling, I growled the one who nodded by the collar and raised my free fist to strike. The man's eyes were wide with fear. I hit him, gently for all the strength and anger that was boiling inside me.

The guy fell down as if I'd punched him as hard as I could, but if that were the case, his head would've flown off. One of the guards took out his gun and aimed it at my chest. I remembered my agreements to the werewolves that I would not kill any more humans. I raised my hands above my head. "Look," I said. "Why don't you just get rid of the video, and I won't hurt you."

The one with the gun laughed. "Hurt us? I'm the one with the gun."

"I know. Go ahead. Shoot me. See what happens," I chuckled.

The guy, his hand trembling, began to pull the trigger, but sighed and put his gun back. "Fine," he muttered.

The security guards shot him accusing glances. "You're letting it go that easily?" one snapped.

"I'm not gonna shoot him," he replied, his eyes narrowed. "Delete it! Now!"

The one nearest to the computer system popped the tape out of the TV screen and handed it to me. I crushed it in my hands. All their eyes widened in shock. Without another words, I whipped around and left the video room.

When I got home that night, I tried not to think about how angry I was at Esme. I had decided to resign before the security guards ratted me out. All the nurses seemed heartbroken as I began to remove all my possessions from the office. I glared at all of them as I left.

I had to remind myself not to squeeze the steering wheel too tight so I wouldn't crush it. As I pulled into the driveway, I was greeted by a much-needed silence. I got out of the truck and tried to keep the incident off my mind so Edward wouldn't hear. I went over to the passenger's side and took out the box that had all of my stuff in it.

When I entered, no one was there to greet me, not even Esme. I wondered if she were mad at me, or worse. I set my box down on the kitchen table, sighing. There was a piece of notebook paper taped to the counter. Curiously, I got up to read it.

It was written in Esme's hand:

_Carlisle,_

_If you get home and we're gone, we're sorry. Edward and I decided to go hunting. We're really sorry we left you. We were just so thirsty. I love you. I hope everything went okay. See you at home._

_~Esme_

Glaring, I crumpled up the note and threw it I in the garbage can. I stalked to my room and slammed the door behind me, not caring that no one else could here. I began to pace. Whenever I tried to stop, I would involuntarily start once more.

Finally, I went over the bookshelf and pulled out one of my medical journals and looked through it. I remembered my time with the Volturi. Even though I didn't care for Aro that much anymore, we had a good time before I acquired Edward. They always were calm and refined, all three of the main leaders having a great interest in science and the arts—Marcus especially. If Didyme had not been killed, he probably would still be studying, but after her death, Marcus literally did nothing but let Aro make the decisions and drink humans.

When I heard the door open from the living room, I was put the book back in the shelf and darted to the door, yanking it open.

Esme stood, staring at me. "Carlisle… what's with the box?" she asked looking at the box I'd brought home from work.

"I quit. They were going to fire me anyway. I punched a security guard and crushed the video tape in front of them," I growled, trying to make if obvious that I didn't forgive her.

Esme's eyes widened. "Carlisle!" she shrieked.

Edward came in, his own face portraying anger, confusion, and shock. "Carlisle! What about the Volturi? What about the treaty with the werewolves?"

"I didn't kill anyone!" I snarled. "Does no one listen to me? God I am so sick of this!"

"Sick of me?" Esme asked, sounding hurt.

"No."

"Sick of me?" Edward repeated.

"NO!"

"Then what?" they both demanded.

"EVERYTHING!" I screamed. "I CAN'T BE THERE FOR EVERYONE! I HAVE A LIFE AND A JOB! I WANT TO DO WHAT I LOVE! I LOVE YOU—BOTH OF YOU, BUT I CAN'T ALWAYS BE THERE! THE VOLTURI ARE BREATHING DOWN OUR NECKS, THE WEREWOLVES TOO! ROBERT IS STILL OUT THERE. EMMETT AND ROSALIE ARE GONE AND I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ANYMORE!"

Esme stared at me, flinching at every word, but Edward seemed unfazed.

I lowered my voice, but the anger was still there. "I have everything I wanted! A wife, a son, a family—I should be happy now! Right? Well I'm not! I have a wife that loves me, and makes love to me every night! I have two sons that I love and mean as much to me as Esme and Rosalie! But despite all this, I'm angrier than I've ever been! Angry doesn't even describe it! I'm FURIOUS!" I roared.

Esme flinched again. She took a step toward me, but I moved away and ran outside the back door. I couldn't be there right now. I didn't know why the hell I was so angry, I just was. I didn't know if I was angry at Esme, or myself more. No one could erase what those men saw - both me and Esme. They would always remember it, and it was my fault for giving in...

I ran out into the forest, welcoming the coolness of the breeze. Spring had a good grip on the forest now, but even a dusting of snow could change that all too quickly. The trees were speckled with pretty pink buds. I laid down in a clearing. The grass was still moist, and a pale-yellow color.

Stars were dotted across the sky. I could just barely pick out some of the constellations. Crickets lulled my senses. If I were human, I would've slept. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on the blackness. For once, I had no desire to return home and make love to Esme. The only thing I wanted to do was be consumed by darkness.

The cracking of a twig made me snap out of my daze. I leapt to my feet and scanned the tree line. A short figure, a little shorter than five foot. She walked toward me. Jane instantly popped into my mind. I was half crouched, ready to spring toward her. If she was here, what was going on at the house? My stomach lurched at the thought. Guilt clawed at me. I abandoned them. They'd be alone to face the Volturi.

A snarl ripped from my chest, the figure stopped. "Wait!" a voice, as high as Jane's, but noticeably different called.

I waited, not rising from my crouch. I sniffed the air carefully. I was right. She was definitely not Jane. Rising from my position slowly, I finally placed the scent. It was that girl Rosalie had been talking to before Christmas, right before Esme and I broke up.

She stepped into the moonlight so I could see her. "My name is Alice," she said, shooting a glance over her shoulder.

I followed her gaze to see another figure, definitely a man's appear at the tree line.

"That's my husband. Jasper Whitlock," Alice explained. "We heard that you weren't like others of our kind."

I nodded, searching her child-like face. She seemed so tiny, fragile, and almost lithe. "We don't hunt humans for food. We only hunt animals. They sustain us enough, and the more I've seen, it helps us form more emotional bonds and attachments. We don't just keep the others in our family around because of power reasons—we keep them around because we care about each other. Not that other covens that hunt humans don't do the same."

Alice shot a glance at Jasper who was nearly at her side. He walked slowly, as if he were in slow motion. His narrowed blood-red eyes were fixed on me, searching me, just as I had been searching Alice. I suddenly felt calm. I had been feeling anxious about the situation as well as what had been going on at home, but now… I was just calm… I couldn't help it.

"Hear that Jazz?" Alice asked as Jasper came to her side. He snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her so she was against him.

"What did you do?" I asked him, my own eyes narrowing.

Alice looked at her husband. "Jazz," she warned. "What _did_ you do?"

"He was worried… about… well I'm not quite sure. I made him calm," Jasper answered. His voice was soft, but it betrayed power, and fearlessness.

"I was concerned for my wife and son at home," I told them.

"Son?" Alice asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Adopted."

"Ah."

Jasper looked at me. "I know you're curious about my power. I can feel your curiosity rising."

"True," I murmured, surprised he'd sensed that. "But there will be time for questions later."

"I hope so," Alice said. "We would like to join your coven," Alice said smiling and looking at Jasper who nodded. "We are more than willing to adopt your ways."

A grin tugged at the corners of my mouth. "Anyone willing, is more than welcome. We might not be human, but we're not animals. I can take you back if you like."

Alice nodded. "Sounds great."

I led the way back to the house. I had no fear of them. I didn't know if Jasper had something to do with that or not. All I knew was that they both seemed earnest.

As I neared the house, Esme barged out. "CARLISLE!" she growled, ready to give me the wrath that put grizzly bears to shame, but when she saw Jasper and Alice, she relaxed. "Oh… Who are they?"

Alice stepped forward as Edward came out of the house as well, one eyebrow arched. "I'm Alice Whitlock, and this is my husband, Jasper," she introduced as Alice stepped up beside her.

More shapes moved around inside the house. Rosalie and Emmett came outside. My eyes widened. I shot a glance at Esme but she sighed and gave me a defeated look, but it also appeared apologetic. I returned the look. She smiled and I knew everything was forgiven.

Alice giggled and told them that they were going to join our family. Esme was delighted, and Emmett seemed all for it. Rosalie and Edward both resisted the urge to groan, I could see it. Alice giggled happily and ran up to Edward. She hugged him. "I'm going to be the best sister ever!"

Edward chuckled at her enthusiasm and hugged her back.

It all happened so quickly. The next thing I knew, Jasper was crouched low, snarling. "LET GO OF HER!" he roared. Alice spun away from Edward but it was too late. Jasper lunged for my son's throat.

A/N: I love writing cliff-hangers! :D Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed. Please conitue to read, follow, and review! :)


	24. Chapter 24: Jasper Whitlock Hale

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Twenty-Four - ****Jasper Whitlock Hale**

I lunged in the space between Edward and Jasper, not thinking of what could happen. Esme screamed as Jasper collided in me. I saw Edward jump out of the way through the corner of my eye. Jasper and I went spiraling into a tree. I winced on impact as the tree broke in half and we collided with another. We went through two more trees before we stopped.

Wincing, I tried to sit up. If I were human, I would've been dead by the second tree, but I was a vampire, and miraculously alive. Jasper jumped up and brushed some of the splinters off his shoulders. I sat up, wincing at the pain that never came.

Esme was at my side instantly. "Carlisle! Are you okay?" she asked, fussing over me. She rounded on Jasper. "What the hell was that all about? He was hugging her! Not hurting her!"

Alice went up, her eyes wide. Jasper was growling, glaring at Esme. He grouched, prepared to lunge. A growl ripped from my chest and I knocked him over. "TOUCH HER AND YOU'RE DEAD!" I snarled.

"Carlisle! Stop!" Alice shrieked. I realized I had Jasper by the neck, squeezing his throat. Jasper kicked me hard in the chest. I felt it crack and winced as I flew off him. Esme was at my side and tried to help me up. Rosalie and Edward were also crowding around me as Emmett stalked up to Jasper.

Alice begged them not to fight as I got to my feet. "Emmett," I rasped. Emmett looked at me. I didn't have to say anything. He understood. As soon as he backed off, Alice rushed to Jasper and began speaking to him in Spanish.

Esme edged closer to me and held my hand. Edward stood on my other side as Rosalie went over to Emmett. I felt a wave of gratitude wash over me as my family stood by my side, supporting me. Jasper let out an annoyed his and snapped something at Alice before he turned to me. "Sorry."

"He's over-protective of me. We're really sorry. He… he didn't exactly have the same upbringing as the rest of you," Alice said, her eyes pained.

Jasper nodded. "I'm sorry… I'm not looking for an excuse for my behavior, but she is right. I was created to be a puppet for a vampire named Maria. The Volturi came down south and ended their operation just after I got out. I'm almost positive Maria escaped. All the training the Confederate army gave me was nothing to protect me from the newborns," he explained. He pulled up the sleeves of his blue button-down shirt to expose the bite scars of other vampires.

Esme gasped beside me.

Jasper looked at her. "Gruesome, I know," he replied. "I had just finished evacuating a colony of women and children. I was heading across the countryside back to the base camp. I was the youngest general in the Texas cavalry, but I'd never seen any real battle. When I saw Maria and her two companions at the time, Lucy and Nettie, I offered them my aid. I wondered why three women were all alone in the wilderness, so I went to make sure they were okay.

"When I got there, I dismounted my horse and went over to them. They began whispering to themselves. It was something about me, being an officer and how I could be beneficial… Then I heard one say the words that made my blood run cold: 'You better do it, Maria. I can never stop once I've started.' As wary as I was, I didn't move. They asked me my name, and I told them.

"Then Maria said she hoped I survived and bit my neck. The pain was unbearable—but I'm sure you all are familiar with that," he said, looking around at us. "When I woke, I was in a shack with Maria. She explained to me that she was creating an army of newborn vampires. Another coven's army destroyed her own coven's village and killed her family, and her mate. She told me that she needed my help to seek vengeance.

"My ability to control emotions was useful for training her newborns. I was her second-in-command. I did anything and everything she asked. But being the second-in-command had its perks and its cons. Maria treated me like a mate, she never said she loved me, but she kissed me and…" he shot an unsure glance at Alice.

"I know the whole story Jasper," she assured him. "Keep going."

"And allowed me… to do certain things with her," he murmured suggestively and awkwardly. "But the most depressing job of all was that I was the executioner. It was a never-ending task since she never let the newborns live beyond their first year. After that, they began to get weaker since the blood in their tissues was starting to leave them.

"I could feel everything they felt," he whispered, painfully. "I met a young man named Peter. I became… attached to him… When it came time to kill him… I couldn't bring myself to it. I just… I told him to run and never come back, but there was one problem: he'd met a woman in the army he'd fallen in love with—Charlotte. Peter and I worked together and we were able to smuggle Charlotte out as well.

"Maria, of course, found out and accused me of betraying her. But I was the least of her problems. Lucy and Nettie were planning on overthrowing her and killing her, thus taking over the army, but I was able to find out of their plot in time. Maria and I killed them before they could plot any further.

"As time went on, I began to be depressed. I never liked feeding on humans because I could feel everything they felt and I hated it. Maria sensed this and believed that I would try to overthrow her just as he two close friends had. She hired some of the older, more sensible newborns to kill me off. She promised them that they would take my place as second-commands and get all the so-called privileges I got from Maria.

"But I found out and ran. I thought what Maria and I had was love, but I was just her puppet. She pulled the strings. I felt heartbroken when I ran off. It was then I realized that Maria never loved me. I stayed with Peter and Charlotte for a few years… until I found Alice," he said with a loving glance at his wife.

He chuckled. "She'd seen me comin' of course."

"You kept me waiting long enough," Alice teased and kissed his lips.

"So you can see visions of the future?" I asked Alice, arching an eyebrow.

"Almost. I can see the future, based on people's decisions. I saw that Jasper and I would come here, but I saw us being welcomed into the family. I made a last-minute decision when I hugged Edward and Jasper snapped thinking he'd hurt me," Alice explained.

"Well," Esme said, stealing my position to talk. "Welcome to the family!"

"Yes," I agreed. "Welcome."

Edward and Emmett gave unenthusiastic welcomes while Rosalie said nothing. As Esme took Alice and Jasper inside, Rosalie and Emmett followed leaving Edward and me alone.

"Was it true?" I asked him, feeling guilty for not trusting my new family members.

"Yes," Edward sighed. "Esme is not exactly as cheerful as she's putting on. Rosalie is downright pissed off and Emmett is less than enthusiastic. He got outraged when Jasper attacked me, you and nearly Esme."

I nodded. "He's not the only one."

"Thanks," he whispered as I turned to go in the house.

"For what?" I asked turning back to him.

"For saving my life again."

A few days went by. Everyone still needed some time to adjust. I was home all the time now since I quit my job at the hospital. Emmett, Rosalie and Edward still attended school. I never got around to asking why Rosalie and Emmett had returned, but secretly I was glad to see them.

Emmett had proposed to Rosalie the night they returned, sending Esme and Alice into a wedding-planning frenzy. I had a feeling Esme and Alice would get along well together. Rosalie seemed utterly pleased by all the attention she was receiving, and spent more time with Esme and Alice planning the wedding rather than sleeping with Emmett.

Not having to work also gave me a lot of time to spend with Esme. Every time she wanted me, she'd let me know in a pleasant way.

I was reading a book one night. Jasper and Alice were talking quietly in their room upstairs about the day while Emmett and Rosalie were locked in their rooms doing what they always did. Edward was out hunting with Esme.

Reading had become quite a common pastime for me once more, but it was usually interrupted by my family, but rarely by another vampire.

There was a tap on one of the windows behind my chair. I set the book down and sniffed the air. An unusual vampire scent lingered in the air. Rising to my feet, I went over to look out the window. There was a part of this scent that smelled so familiar to me… Finally I was able to place it.

I rushed out the door in a second. "ESME!" I shouted into the darkness. I ran out into the forest, tracking Esme's scent. "ESME!" I yelled again.

Esme appeared in front of me and rushed toward me. "Carlisle, what's wrong?" she asked, her eyes wide with fear.

"It's Robert. He's back I smelled his scent near the house," I told her, wrapping her in a protective hug.

"He's close," Edward said as he walked toward us. "I can hear his thoughts."

Esme whimpered. She pulled out of my arms. "I'll talk to him," she said bravely, but I could hear her voice tremble.

"No," Edward and I both said simultaneously.

"It's much too dangerous," I said hugging her again.

"Agreed," Edward concurred. "Robert isn't going to be that nice this time around. He's a vampire and…" Edward trailed off abruptly, his eyes widening.

At the same time, Esme and I smelled what he either smelled or heard—the distinctive odor of the Volturi.

"Who's with him?" I asked Edward, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Caius, Jane, Demetri, and Felix," Edward replied in the same tone.

Esme trembled in my arms. I let her go, and stepped in front of her protectively. A second later, Alice and Jasper appeared at my side. Jasper understood the mood, and must've been familiar with the Volturi, for he too looked quite nervous. Alice moved behind me so she stood with Esme, comforting her. Emmett and Rosalie were the last of our family to show up. Emmett appeared first and went to Edward. The brothers began to converse quietly as Rosalie also went to Esme.

Robert stepped out of the trees first. His eyes were blood-red and his skin pale. He looked nothing like I remembered him. "Dr. Cullen," he greeted me formally, his tone sneering and mocking.

"Robert," I answered.

Caius emerged next with Jane by his side. Demetri and Felix came after them. Jane, Felix and Demetri wore the traditional Volturi guard clothes—dark gray robes with their hoods up. Caius's hood was down, but, unlike his subordinates, was black, symbolizing his power.

"Carlisle," Caius greeted with a gentle, mocking smile. "You've broken a major rule here, Carlisle," he said, his eyes portraying amusement and longing to lunge for my throat.

"He didn't break it!" Esme protested from behind me. "I did!"

"Esme," I whispered, looking over my shoulder. She looked at me with sad eyes and then averted her gaze to her feet.

"Telling a human of our kind is forbidden, as you know. We don't create spectacles of ourselves, and I believe that you have," Caius explained, picking his words carefully.

Edward let out a low growl. "Stop speaking in riddles Caius. Robert is a vampire now; the humans will think he's dead. He hasn't told anyone about us. What happens next is none of the Volturi's business—it's between us and Robert."

Jane looked at Edward and narrowed her eyes menacingly. Felix looked from Edward, to me, to Esme, as if debating which one of us he would go for first.

Alice let out a small gasp from behind us. We all turned to look, even the members of the Volturi. Edward's eyes widened as he read Alice's mind. My eyes flew to Esme who was standing beside Alice as she saw her vision. Jasper moved from the frontlines to his mate and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay," he soothed.

He looked at Edward and Edward gave him a brief nod. "Alice was just thinking of something horrible. She usually magnifies it in her mind and makes herself scared. She's a bit insane," Edward lied.

Caius looked unconvinced but nodded. "Very well. This time, Carlisle, you may walk free, but the Volturi do not give second chances," he reminded, looking from me to Edward. "Keep that in mind. Aro will be interested to hear your coven has grown and that… Edward is still with you."

I narrowed my eyes at the Volturi leader. "Tell Aro to keep in mind that my decision remains the same," I replied darkly.

"He'll be disappointed," Caius replied.

"He'll live."

Caius nodded. "Come," he said to the rest of the Volturi. As quickly as they came, the Volturi disappeared into the trees, leaving Robert alone with us.

A/N: Ah, cliff-hangers. ;D Hope you enjoyed! THanks for reading! Please conintue to follow and review! :)


	25. Chapter 25: Robert and Randall

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Twenty-Five - ****Robert and Randall**

Robert stood in front of us. Emmett was tense beside Edward, ready to spring. Robert moved faster than Emmett. He lunged for me, avoiding Emmett's large physique, but Edward was just as fast and grabbed his left arm. He had one hand on Robert's shoulder and the other on his elbow.

Jasper rushed over and grabbed Robert's other arm. Robert snarled and elbowed Edward in the nose. Edward growled and fell back with the impact. Robert then tried to grab Jasper's shirt. Jasper flipped over Robert's arm yanking it the wrong way and twisting it off. Robert screamed and went to punch Jasper.

Knowing I had to act, I grabbed Robert's arm as he pulled it back. Emmett got in the fight finally and grabbed Robert's head. He waited for me to give the okay to twist it off. I looked over my shoulder at Esme. She was staring at us, wide-eyed.

While I was distracted, Robert elbowed me in the ribs sending me back into Edward who had been unknowingly standing behind me. Edward hissed in surprise and caught me. I muttered my thanks and grabbed Robert's arm once more. Again, the stronger newborn knocked me off balance. Refusing to let go his arm, his wild thrashes drug me around on the ground.

I got to my feet. Emmett had his arms tight around Robert's neck, but he somehow got to his feet. Edward joined the fight and tackled him. Robert snarled. Jasper tore off his right leg, while I did the same to his left arm. Edward tore off the left leg, and Emmett the head.

Jasper knocked over a tree. Emmett helped him as they ripped the bark off of it. Edward took out a lighter and tossed it on Robert's highly flammable body. I looked over at Esme who was staring at Robert's body. I looked at her and went over to her. Esme took a step back away from me.

Everyone was staring at us now. Esme was staring at me, looking scared. "Esme, love," I whispered. "It's me, Carlisle. Sweetheart, I'd never hurt you."

Esme nodded. "I… I know, Carlisle," she whispered. "I just…"

I backed off to give her some space. Jasper and Emmett burned Robert. I stood on the other side of the blazing fire watching Esme, intently. I couldn't believe that she would be scared of me. I would never do anything to hurt her.

Edward came over to me, his hands behind his back. "She just needs some space. She's never seen you act like that before," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the cracking and popping of the fire as Robert's body blazed.

_Will she get over it?_ I asked him silently, begging that the answer would be yes.

Edward nodded. "She needs some space for a bit while she processes what the hell just happened."

I nodded sadly while he talked. I glanced up at Esme. Alice was standing beside her, talking quietly. Alice looked like she was trying to reassure Esme, but I was too beside myself to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Once Robert was nothing but ash, we put out the fire so it wouldn't spread and returned to the house. Esme kept her distance, not from me, but from all of the men. I felt a bit better, that she wasn't just scared of me. I followed Edward in the house after Jasper and the others let the ladies go first. I went to my room and closed the door before Esme could.

An hour went by before Esme knocked on the door. Her sweet scent seemed to squeeze under the door and wrap itself around me. "Come in," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Esme's sensitive hearing picked up my quiet invite, and opened the door hesitantly. She came inside and closed the door behind her. I didn't look up at her. In a way, I didn't want to look. I didn't want to end up wanting her. She had no idea what she did to me. I heard her soft footsteps as she came over to me. Everything about her was so tempting. Just knowing that she was in the room with me made my boxers rise. Why did she have to come alone?

She sat down on the bed beside me. The only think I looked at were her flawless pale legs as she walked past me. Her toenails were painted a deep, ruby red color.

"I'm sorry, Carlisle," she whispered. "I just… I never really saw you like that before… Seeing you kill someone…"

"I know," I said. I tried to sound angry. I wanted to be angry, but the anger wouldn't come. I waited for it to rise; both hers and mine. I thought she might be angry with me for killing Robert. She might have loved him for all I knew. "If it's worth it, I never liked the idea of killing another creature—even a sadistic, womanizer like Robert."

Esme reached over and pulled me head up and toward her by my chin. She was smiling. "Carlisle," she said almost disapprovingly. "You know I love you."

I pulled my face away from her warm, enthralling touch. "Why would you be scared of me? I just don't understand! I know you had to be scared, but you love me don't you? You know I would never hurt you! I'm your husband!"

Esme flinched at my words. I didn't think I sounded harsh, but for all I know, I could have. "That didn't stop my last husband," she whispered. Guilt clawed at my stomach. "But, yes. I do love you."

I couldn't help but sigh in relief. I looked back to the floor and then ran a hand through my hair. "No matter how scary I seem to be, I'm not actually that scary. I'm a doctor," I said teasingly.

Esme giggled. "Dr. Cullen."

When she said my professional name I shivered. "Mrs. Cullen," I replied trying to make my voice sound as inviting as her own. I seemed to have the same effect.

Simultaneously, we both moved in to kiss the other. I wrapped my arms around her softly, while she did the same around my next. I pulled away softly and moved my lips along her jawline and down her neck to the hollow of her throat. A low moan emitted from Esme. "Oh, Carlisle," she breathed.

Chuckling I moved so we were entirely on the bed. I kissed her tenderly, as she returned it. She kissed me in a way that should be illegal; it was dark, it was enthralling, it was addictive. I would've been content just to lay there on top of her and kiss her all night, but she had other plans. Her hands were at the buttons of my shirt, yanking them undone. I could feel her hands struggling not to tear my shirt as she undid them. I helped to slip it off before I started on hers, kissing everything I revealed while she made sounds of pleasure. It was going to be a long, wonderful night.

The next day was full of surprises. Edward had made the chess team at school (though that wasn't exactly a surprise. He could read minds for crying out loud!), and Emmett and Rosalie had gone a whole week with no warnings about inappropriate behavior at school. Alice and Jasper both wanted to sign up, but at the moment, Alice was unsure if it were wise for Jasper, who was still adjusting to the taste of animal blood, to go to a school full of innocent teenagers. Esme and I both agreed.

Esme also decided that she wanted to get a job. She said that it was now my turn to sit at home all day while she did something. I chuckled when she said it, but I was secretly worried. She was a vampire, and could take care of herself, she could even when she was a human, but it didn't stop me from worrying. She was so beautiful, and so precious… any guy would be lucky to have her. She also seemed so fragile, when in reality, she was far from it.

She left that morning to go off for a job interview, leaving Jasper, Alice, and I alone in the house. Alice and Jasper were up in their room doing exactly what Esme and I did the previous night. I sat in the living room, trying desperately to block out their noises. I could tell that they were trying to be quiet for my sake. Sighing, unable to read with their noises, I set the book down. Hearing them just made me think of Esme, which made me think of her in her lingerie, which made me get excited.

"I'm gonna go hunting!" I shouted up to them, knowing they'd be able to hear. "Feel free to be as loud as you want." With that, I turned and darted out the backdoor before their moans became more audible. I was quite thirsty though. My eyes were getting black again. The thought of blood made my throat ignite in flames.

I quickly tracked down a heard of deer, but my throat craved for a more powerful blood—like human blood… I shook my head in disdain at my thoughts. The only thing close to that on my menu was a mountain lion, or a bear. To find one of those would take longer… And it would give Jasper and Alice more time to enjoy each other's affections.

Making my way through the forest, I scented the air constantly, looking for the scent of a mountain lion, or bear. No lions, no bears, but there was one particular scent that caught my attention—vampire. Cursing quietly as I inhaled the scent, I knew it would've been wiser to go back to the house and get Jasper, but I didn't want to go all the way back to the house in case I lost the trail.

I followed the scent farther into the forest, until I finally saw its owner. He was young, tall, and by the looks of it, a newborn. His eyes were blood-red and he appeared to be extremely strong as he smashed a tree to smithereens, although any vampire could do that. Once the tree was scattered across a small clearing, the splinters standing out against the pure-white snow that was dotted with animal prints, I saw that his body was shaking with tearless sobs.

It was against my better judgment, and all of my knowledge of strange vampires, but I stepped out of the cover of the trees. Newborns were usually impulsive, unpredictable, unstable, emotional, and in his case, confused. Edward had been the same way after I changed him, Rosalie, at first too. Esme was definitely something special. She only had a lapse of control once, and that was with the human.

The young man looked up, his red eyes widened. "Who are you?" I asked him, kindly, but trying to sound forceful, he was still on my territory, and he could be a threat to my family.

"Randall," he blurted out. "I… I don't know what happened to me! I was living in California and… and… I was coming home late, and this dude attacked me, and the next thing I knew, I felt like I was on fire, then I was this… crazy… creature! Then I killed… I killed my girlfriend when I tried to see her… She smelled so good! I knew I was a vampire, I didn't know what to do, I didn't know where I was going, please don't hurt me!"

I frowned at his story. The poor kid… I couldn't imagine what he must've felt. If I ever killed Esme… "It's alright son," I said going toward him. "I'm a vampire too, but you have nothing to fear from me. My name is Carlisle. My family and I have a house nearby. But, I suggest you don't go any farther north, for your own safety."

"What do you mean?" Randall asked, giving me a quizzical look, but at the same time, he seemed fascinated by me.

"Werewolves. They'll kill you without question," I warned him. His eyes widened, but he nodded. I knew the kid was probably taking this newfound knowledge, hard, but if vampires were real, he probably figured everything was real now.

"Thanks for the warning…" Randall said. He opened his mouth again as if he wanted to say something else, but closed it again.

"Randall, do have a place to go for the night?" I asked him gently. Vampires didn't sleep, but I figured it was apt to invite him back to my house. I had to admit that I was intrigued, and I pitied the boy. I knew that he was young, alone, and quite scared.

Randall shook his head. "No, sir."

"Come on. You can come back to my house for the night. You'll be welcome," I assured him, seeing his bewildered look. Without another word, I turned off and went back into the woods. He followed me quickly as I led him back to the house.

A/N: Well, this is one of the last Chapters I've already had written, then you have to wait *evil face* That is anyone is actually reading *audible gulp* Thanks for reading, if you did, and hope you enjoyed! Please continue to follow and review! :D


	26. Chapter 26: Campfire Stories

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Twenty-Six - ****Campfire Stories**

I brought Randall home and it took the entire household to get used to his presence. He was single, young and alone. Rosalie jested that he could be a mate for Edward, and Edward nearly tore her to pieces. He would have if Jasper and I hadn't acted quickly.

Randall spent most of his time with Jasper and I. Alice and Esme were busy buying clothes and redecorating the house.

When Rosalie, Edward and Emmett returned from school one day, Rosalie ran into the house, screaming. I jumped up from my chair and ran to her. Esme and Alice was already with her, admiring the large diamond ring on her finger. Edward looked mildly pleased, and Emmett was smiling widely.

"You finally got her a ring?" Jasper asked, looking smug as he entered the room and came up beside me.

Emmett nodded. "Esme and Alice helped me pick it out. I gave it to her after school today."

Rosalie came over to the rest of us and showed us all the large diamond on her finger. After Rosalie had finished showing off her new jewelry, Alice and Rosalie went upstairs to talk about wedding details. Emmett, Edward, Randall and Jasper decided to go hunting. I declined their offer, wanting to spend more time with Esme.

Esme looked disapproving once the boys left. "Carlisle, your eyes are black. The thirst must be killing you, love," she said walking over to her. "You didn't have to stay behind."

"I wanted to," I protested and wrapped my arms around her waist.

Esme let out a small sigh. "I can never tell you anything, can I?" she teased, wrapping her arms around my neck. She ran her delicate fingers through my hair, making me shiver in pleasure.

"I think being stubborn has its advantages," I said softly, kissing the hollow of her throat. "I mean… if I would have… gone… we wouldn't… have… this time… to ourselves," I whispered between kisses.

Esme let out a small moan and pulled herself closer to me. I hitched her legs around her waist and carried her to our room…

A couple hours later, there was a knock on the door. Esme sighed into my lips started to sit up. I pulled away and sat back on the bed before slipping my boxers back on. "Who is it?" I called through the door.

"It's Emmett," he called. "We're gonna have a fire in the back. You wanna come?"

Esme and I exchanged a quizzical look. "A fire—did you kill someone?" I demanded suddenly. Our venom was highly flammable. A vampire body would ignite as soon as it touched even a small flame. A drained human body would also become enflamed easily.

"No! No," Emmett said quickly. "No, no, no. It was Randall's idea. He suggested that we should all exchange stories and get to know each other better, you know?"

Esme got up and got dressed quickly. I looked at her, and let out a sigh, decided that that meant we were going to attend. "Yep, we'll be there," I called through the door before slipping a pair of jeans on. Esme put her pretty pale, sky-blue dress. I slipped on a white t-shirt on, though Esme stated she would have preferred if I'd gone shirtless.

I chuckled and took her outside. Randall and the others were already outside, sitting on the grass, surrounding the fire. As we left the house, a chilly breeze blew toward me. Almost all the snow was gone but the winter chill still lingered in the air. Even though none of us vampires were affected by the cold, I could still feel the temperature slowly declining.

Esme and I took our seats on the grass around the fire. I sat next to Edward, and Esme sat next to Alice, who sat, Indian-style on the grass next to Jasper. Alice smiled when she saw Esme. The grass was a little damp, and we'd all be wet by the time we were finished telling stories, but I think all of us could have cared less.

Across from me, sat Randall, who was gazing intently at me, before stating, "I think the founder of the family should go first," he said gesturing to me.

I let out a sigh. "Okay, but just so you know, I'm over three hundred years old, and this might take a while," I jested, making everyone chuckle. I started off in the beginning—my father and the grief he felt when my mother died giving birth to me, and about his crusades against evil and sin. I told them about the night I was turned—that the men in my patrol were killing, but I was alive, with venom inside me so the change occurred, unintended by the vampire who bit me.

"My father was a strong, powerful man, I knew he loved me, but once I had become this monster, he would see me as a dead man walking—a zombie almost, as if a parasite had taken over me, and sucked out all of the life inside. I knew that it would have been much better for the both of us if he believed that I was killed carrying on his livelihood," I told them.

"That must have been hard," Randall commented. "Knowing that your own father would never accept you… then of course, I doubt that mine would now."

I nodded solemnly. "Even I didn't accept myself then. I knew what I had become—a soulless monster. I tried many methods to kill myself. I tried to jump off cliffs, drown myself, hang myself, stab myself, burn myself, and then, eventually starve myself… But vampires couldn't die. Fire does destroy us, if we are ripped apart first, though. When a herd of deer neared my hiding place, I was so thirsty, I lost control and attacked them. I then realized that I could sustain myself off animal blood. I didn't have to be the monster everyone believed vampires were…"

Everyone listened as I continued on with my story. I told them about my old friend, Alistair, and how, by the time I swam to France, we had become what you would call friends. I told them about my time with the Volturi, and my friendship with Aro, Caius and Marcus. Everyone seemed quite interested in my stories.

When I had finished droning about everything, including obsessing over how perfect Esme was to me, Edward took the initiative. He told everyone about his young life with his mother and father, and that his father had left the fight in the war. Edward had itchy-feet when he was a young human lad, and longed to join his father on the front lines. His mother's anxiety worried him faintly, but he was more eager to be out there fighting. He was young, and looking for glory.

He then explained how the epidemic of Spanish Influenza and claimed his mother and himself. I gazed into the dancing flames of the fire as Edward told everyone how his mother, Elizabeth Masen had begged me to do whatever I could to save her son. She knew I was different—something 'special' she called it. I bit Edward, and he'd been with me ever since, until he left when Rosalie came along.

Esme went next. I found her the most difficult to listen to as she recounted the horrors of living with Charles, and the terrible things he'd made her endure… She said that her mother told her to shut up about what Charles was doing, and be a good wife. She said that she left, only to discover she was pregnant. She moved away from Charles and lived with her cousin for a while as a school teacher, then Charles found out where she was, and went searching for her, so she went back to Ohio…

It was there she lost the baby and jumped off the cliff. That was where I found her all those years ago. It seemed like just yesterday I was in the hospital, watching the nurses wheel her almost lifeless, broken body down the hall.

Esme also took time to shower me with praise and affection as to how well I took care of her. When she was finished, she planted a kiss on my cheek for everyone to see. If I were human, I would have blushed.

Rosalie then began to talk about her life—how perfect everything seemed, and how she believed that she was in love with Royce. She talked about that horrible night when those dogs did unspeakable things to her. She also told how I found her in the streets and bit her, saving her life. She spent quite a bit of time talking about her and Edward's quarrels. Edward just chuckled as he, too remembered the fights they'd had.

Emmett and Jasper went afterwards. Emmett talked about the bear, and Jasper about his days in the newborn army. Randall had listened to all the stories, obviously fascinated. Alice didn't remember most about her past, all she knew was that she had been put in an asylum because of her unusual talent to see the future. She remembered that another vampire had been hunting her since she was his singer. An older vampire who worked at the asylum knew of the vampire coming for her, so changed her in an effort to save her life.

Randall then spoke. His life was average. He had two parents and two older sisters. We all cringed when he spoke about his lapse of control when he killed his girlfriend. Once Randall was finished with his story, the fire was no longer high and blazing like it had been. Instead, it was a small pile of charred logs with a small glow at the center of the wood. After Randall was done telling his story, he continued to badger me with questions about the Volturi, not that I really minded.

"You know, Randall, if you're so curious, why don't you go visit them?" I asked after I'd answered his question about the positions of the guard.

All talk around the fire went silent once I proposed the idea. Edward was looking at me, fiercely, his topaz eyes hard, as he read my mind. Esme stared at me, looking astonished that I even suggested it. Randall looked intrigued.

"Carlisle, you can't be serious," Edward and Esme both stated simultaneously.

"Why not?" I protested carefully. "Aro encourages visitors so they will be able to uphold the law. Who knows, maybe he'll like it there, and they'll invite him to stay."

"Yeah, but Randall is one of us now," Emmett said firmly. "We can't just throw him to those bastards."

Esme looked displeased by Emmett's choice of words but nodded in agreement. "Carlisle… it's too dangerous for him to go alone, and you know what they're like."

"Well, what if I wanna go?" Randall asked above all the voices. He stared intently at me, his face light and interested. He reminded me of myself—young, curious, and seeking knowledge.

"Randall," Esme said disapprovingly, her maternal instincts coming out.

I stood up and gazed at Randall easily. "I'll go with him."

A/N: Hehehe, another cliff-hanger. The Volturi returns once more. Well, now you have to WAIT for a new upload. XD Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading. Please continue to follow and review! :)


	27. Chapter 27: Old Friends

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven - ****Old Friends**

Ignoring everyone's protests, Randall and I packed for our trip. Esme was scared to death for our safety. I told her I would bring my cellphone, and I would call her every night. This still didn't ease her worries. Jasper did the best he could to keep everyone calm, but even then he was fighting his own misgivings.

The night before the day we were to leave, Esme came into our room, with a determined look on her face. Jasper and Alice were behind her. "I've made up my mind," she decided. "I'm coming with you."

All of our eyes widened. "No!" Jasper and I said at the same time. I got up from my seat on the bed.

"It's too dangerous," I told her.

"Carlisle's right. Esme, if you're worried, I'll go with him," Jasper offered.

"No, Jazz," Alice protested. "It's too dangerous for you to go! Aro will read your thoughts, and when he finds out you've been involved with the newborn wars, he'll kill you!"

While Jasper and Alice argued in urgent whispers, Esme came up to me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and held me close in a hug. "Carlisle, I swear to God, if they hurt you…" Esme whispered.

I stroked her hair reassuringly. "They won't. I'll be fine. I need you to be here, at home, and take care of the family for me."

Esme nodded sadly and kissed my neck. "Please don't get hurt."

"I'll do everything in my power to be safe," I promised her quietly. Alice and Jasper left the room, leaving us to be alone, still arguing about Jasper's offer.

We stood there in the bedroom, just holding each other close. I tried not to think about how, in reality this could be the last time I hold my beloved close. We'd had a few fights, but neither could deny that we were meant to be together. We both knew that we couldn't stand to lose the one thing we could live—if we were alive at all—without—the other. The possibility that Aro lost his temper and ripped me apart was very real. I tried to push it out of my mind.

"I love you, Carlisle," Esme whispered, her face buried in my shoulder.

"I love you too," I whispered back, afraid that the tranquility of that moment would be shattered if I spoke any louder. I pulled her slowly over to the bed and sat down, pulling her into my lap. Esme sat, and snuggled closer into my chest. Smiling slightly I kissed the top of her head lovingly.

Esme smiled and pulled away a little bit, so she could look at my face. She searched it, as if I was an enigma she was trying to understand, to no avail. "Why do you do this to me?" she asked with a hollow laugh.

"You know the last thing I want you to do is worry for me. I'm a big boy, I'll be alright," I assured her teasingly.

Esme chuckled. "Carlisle, be serious… Besides, Aro's bigger," she joked.

I laughed. "What exactly are you implying there?"

We both laughed at that.

Once we both calmed down, I let out a sigh. "I don't know. Randall is looking forward to it, and I don't want to disappoint him. Besides, one day, we'll have to face Aro again."

It was her turn to sigh now. "Don't remind me," she whispered and buried her face back in my chest. After a moment of silence, she spoke again. "When that day comes, I'd prefer it if we all stood together."

I nodded in agreement. The day when we would have to face the Volturi would come eventually. When it did, hopefully Alice would be able to see it, and we could prepare. Until then, I had to enjoy the time I had with Esme and my family as much as I could.

The next morning, I got dressed after Esme had given me, what she called, a 'proper good-bye.' Esme was sprawled out on the bed, and tried to let out a fake yawn, which was just as disastrous as her first attempt. I chuckled at her horrible acting.

Esme rolled her eyes and got up. She went over and shoved my shoulder playfully before slipping on a robe. I just finished buttoning the buttons on my shirt when Esme came over. She wrapped her arms around me in a hug and held me close to her. She kissed my lips over, and over, very tenderly. It were times like that that reminded me how addictive her kiss truly was.

When she finally pulled away, someone knocked on the door. "Carlisle," Edward called from outside. "Can I talk to you?"

Repressing a sigh, I went over to the door and opened it halfway so Edward could see me, but not Esme who was naked except for the robe she borrowed from Rosalie. It was one of the see-through robes Rosalie had purchased for "entertaining" Emmett as Esme had told me.

I slipped out of the room carefully, trying to shield Esme from his eyes. Edward had looked away out of respect, reading my mind, but I wanted to be sure.

"Can we go for a walk?" Edward queried quietly.

I glanced toward the living room. "Where's Randall?"

"Hunting," Edward said. "We can too, if you like. I just wanted to talk to you about Aro," Edward said quietly. I could hear the urgency in his tone, and for once, I wished I had Edward's gift so I could read what was going on in my son's mind.

"Very well," I decided. "Can we make it quick?"

Edward nodded, and led the way toward the door. I followed, thinking of what awaited me that day. I was not thrilled to be seeing Aro again, or Caius for that matter. Marcus was usually pleasant. He never said much, but he was a good listener, and was exceptionally good at advice.

Once we were a good distance from the house, Edward took a deep breath. "When, and if Aro asks you about me, say as little as possible. I don't want you to get in trouble for my sake. Stay out of the action, especially in that area. Try not to get yourself killed."

I nodded. "Thanks for the advice," I murmured. "Let's hunt."

Randall and I decided to play it safe, and take plane. Randall and I took turns pretending to sleep on the plane ride to Florence. Randall, still being a newborn, held his breath almost the entire ride. I kept a close eye on him, ready to restrain him if necessary.

After we got out of the airport, we ran to Volterra, and I led him in the same way I took Esme in. After we worked our way through the ruins and finally were discovered by a few members of the Volturi guard, we were taken to Aro. Jane was among them.

She led us down a long, dark hallway to a reception room. A woman sat at the desk. When she saw us approach, she rose from her seat behind the desk. "_Ciao! Benvenuti alla leggendaria Volturi Castello! Mi auguro che possiate godervi la vostra visita!_" she greeted us in Italian.

Jane shot her an annoyed look and proceeded to lead us down another hallway. It was lighter here, but they made sure that no sunlight came through. Randall stared around in awe. Once the human was a good distance away, he started to breathe again. I recognized the guards a few of the around us. Jane was in front, and walking beside us were two other guards. I remembered one was Felix, but the other was a young man, who had an olive tint to his skin, and was very tall and muscular. Trailing behind us was a woman. She was short with an hour-glass figure. I remembered Aro referring to her as Chelsea.

"_Santiago, correre avanti e allarme Aro,_" Jane said, glancing over her shoulder at the olive-skinned man.

Santiago nodded and darted off quickly down the corridor. About a minute later, if that, we reached the main throne room. Randall looked around in awe. I heard a low chuckle come from toward the throne chairs.

I looked over from Randall to see Aro descending the stairs. "Carlisle," he hailed me and extended his hand forward. I took it hesitantly, trying to keep Esme in the back of my mind. Aro let go after a few moments, and smiled kindly at Randall.

"Welcome to the Volturi, Randall. If I understand correctly, you are quite curious of us, am I right?" Aro asked gently to the boy.

Randall nodded enthusiastically, and began telling Aro about his interests in the Volturi, and about his passion for science and the arts. Aro listened attentively, looking amused. Randall was certainly a talker.

While Randall had Aro distracted, I looked at the throne chairs. Marcus was seated in his, watching Randall, looking mildly interested. Caius was absent from his normal spot at Aro's left hand. I locked eyes with Marcus and he managed a painful smile before rising.

Marcus and I both approached each other. He shook my hand as we exchanged a formal greeting. Marcus's eyes were sad as always. "How is Esme?" he asked in a whisper.

"She is well," I replied. "We both decided it was best if she remained home this trip."Marcus nodded, understandingly. "Is she happy?"

His question took me by surprise, but I nodded. "I believe so. I try to make her as happy as I can," I said, searching his face carefully.

Marcus nodded once more. "Good. Keep her happy and safe, Carlisle. Because, you'll have no idea how important she is, until you lose her."

I let out a small sigh. "I've already been foolish enough to lose her twice, but I'm not about to let it happen again."

"Well, well, well, Carlisle Cullen," Caius's voice came from behind me. I turned around to see the blonde vampire standing next to Aro. Beside him, was a beautiful woman with blonde hair, just like her mate's. She was tall, and curvy like Esme, with a perfect face. Athenodora.

Randall went over to me. I could see he was unsure about Caius. I didn't blame him. He was very imposing.

"I didn't know you were coming," Caius commented. He snaked his arm around Athenodora's waist protectively.

Athenodora looked at me and smiled sweetly. "Hello Carlisle," she said kindly.

I let out a small sigh. Athenodora and I never really got along, mainly because whenever Caius wasn't around, she would flirt with me. I looked at her. She rested her head on Caius's shoulder, smiling kindly. Caius smiled furtively and kissed her head softly. Who knew. Maybe she'd changed.

"Jane," Aro called to the young girl.

Jane walked toward us. She'd been standing against the wall, watching with hard, ruby eyes. "Yes master?" she asked in her high, singsong voice.

"Take Randall and Carlisle to their rooms, please," Aro said with a gentle smile.

Jane nodded and led Randall and I behind the throne chairs to a long hallway. The doors were made of metal, reminding me almost of prison doors. Randall glanced around and almost ran right into Jane when she stopped. I put my arm out to stop him before he could.

She took us into a small room about ten feet in every direction. There was one bed, and a writing desk inside. "Enjoy your stay," Jane said curtly before walking back down the hall toward the throne room.

In the evening, Aro called Randall to the library, since Randall had been so eager to go see their collection. I was all alone in our small room, laying on the bed, flipping through one of the books that had been set on the desk.

A faint knock on the door brought me back to the real world. I set my book down, and sat up. "Come in," I called warily.

Athenodora came in. She wore a black dress that was cut low on top, and short on the bottom. Her blonde hair was down, and shaped around her perfect face. I sighed. i_She still hasn't changed._/i

"Hello, Carlisle," she purred and closed the door behind her. "I didn't get to properly welcome you to Volterra earlier today. The last time you came, I didn't even see you. You were with that woman."

"Yes, and that woman is my wife," I said sternly. "Dora, you're married, and so am I. Aren't we a bit old for your games?"

Athenodora let out a flawless, almost alluring laugh. "Oh, Carlisle, you do make me laugh. But, I am Caius's wife, and I get whatever I want," she said lightly. Then, her voice darkened. "And that means your head throne into a blazing flame if I wish it! Your wife's too."

A growl ripped from my chest. "If you, or any other Volturi member touches her, I'll rip you to pieces myself!"

Athenodora just chuckled. "Carlisle, believe me, you do not want me as your enemy."

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading! Please follow and review!


	28. Chapter 28: Temptations

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight - Temptations**

Athenodora meant it when she said I did not want her as my enemy. The expression: "hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn" is definitely true. By resisting her, it either made her angry, or even more determined to seduce me. Either way, she portrayed both in the following days.

Aro knew exactly what was going on, and was rather amused by Athenodora's attempts, and my constant resistance. "Why don't you tell her to lay off me?" I asked him one evening while we were in the library. I glanced down at my watch. It was almost time to call Esme, but I had to leave the Castle to do so, since I couldn't get any cell phone reception.

"Well, I hate to say so, but I do find her methods quite amusing, but if I did so, she would go right to Caius and turn the whole situation around saying you have been trying to seduce her. And… even then, it's our word against his wife's, and you're the closest thing to a friend I have so he'll think I'm covering for you," Aro explained.

I looked at him. I had been shelving some books that we had been going over, mainly scientific studies. Aro and I always took a great interest in sciences and arts. Even though Edward possessed all the knowledge, he never liked to discuss it with me, and I couldn't really blame him, but it was nice to speak with someone who was just as curious and enthusiastic about it as myself.

"Well, if I'm the best friend you have, then you must not know too many people, Aro," I jested.

Aro chuckled. "You're right. I don't. My guard is like my family. I love them all in my own way, but… well you know. I think of them all as brothers, sisters, cousins—one big family. You're different. You don't live with us, but even then you're still kind to me. You're not afraid."

I smiled a little. "You know I always try to see the good in people. Many think it's a weakness, others think it's honorable, but I don't care what they think. There's a little good in everyone."

"You're the only one that can find that in vampires… soulless monsters," Aro murmured, staring at the red carpet.

"We're only soulless if we give up hope. That's why I'm a doctor. I like to help people, regardless if I'm damned or not. It brings me happiness…" I murmured.

"I think my soul is beyond salvation…" Aro murmured. "Anyway, moving swiftly on—" Aro cut off as there was a small knock on the door.

Both our eyes flew to the door. "Master," a female's voice came from outside.

"Cia, I'm in here. Carlisle is in here as well my dear. By all means, come in," Aro summoned his wife.

Sulpicia opened the door slowly. She was always very shy around me. She was dressed in what looked like a white nightgown. She went to Aro and whispered something in his ear, I blocked from my hearing out of courtesy.

Aro smiled a little and wrapped his arms around Sulpicia and pulled her into his lap. She giggled happily. I watched them furtively out of the corner of my eye. My heart ached as I thought of doing the same with Esme. I missed her so much…

"Aro, if you don't mind, I think I'm going to call it a night," I announced shelving the last book in my pile.

He nodded. "Alright, then," Aro replied rubbing his wife's thigh affectionately. "See you in the morning."

* * *

><p>I went out into the city, searching for cell phone service. Finally, I got a few bars and called Esme. She answered after one ring. "Hello?" she asked apprehensively.<p>

"Hello, love," I replied, smiling at just hearing her voice.

"Oh, Carlisle!" she cried. "I miss you so much! How are you? Is Aro behaving himself!"

"I miss you too, I'm fine, and of course," I answered. "I'll have to speak with Randall, but we should be home soon."

Esme and I continued to talk for the next fifteen minutes. I told her about what had been going on during our visit—leaving out the Athenodora parts—and she told me how things were at home.

"Edward's a nervous wreck. He says that if either of you gets hurt over him, he'll go to Italy and end Aro himself," Esme said worriedly.

"Surprisingly, Aro hasn't mentioned him once since we got here. Everyone seems welcoming, Caius and Athenodora being the exceptions," I muttered.

"Why? What's Caius doing?" Esme asked, anxiety pricking in her voice.

"Nothing horrible, just being his grumpy old self. He's… better when his wife's around, but she…" I trailed off, debating whether I should tell Esme about it all.

"What?"

"She's sort of… coming on to me. I keep telling her I'm happily married and I don't want her, but she just ignores me," I said quickly.

Esme sighed. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't be surprise women love you. You are the most perfect man alive."

I chuckled a little. "I am nowhere near perfect, my love."

"Rosalie, Edward, stop bickering!" Esme shouted in the background. "Edward, watch your language! Emmett, leave your brother alone! I'm sorry, Carlisle, Rosalie and Edward are fighting and Emmett's yelling now," she informed me. Emmett was yelling at Edward in the background too.

"It's fine. See you soon, and I'll call you tomorrow," I told her.

"Love you, bye," she murmured quickly into the phone before hanging up.

I sighed and hung up too, and slowly made my way back to the castle. I thought of Esme, and the rest of my family. I chuckled as I tried to think of what Edward said to Rosalie that time to make her angry. Those two really did act like brother and sister.

When I got back to my room, I knew Randall wouldn't be there to greet me. Shortly after we arrived, Randall was given his own room, so I was alone, and was exposed to Athenodora's temptations. I opened the door to my room and went inside. Once I closed the door behind me, I turned on the light.

I wasn't surprised to see Athenodora lying on my bed in a short, black lace nightgown, just like the ones Esme used to wear. I kept the image of Esme in my mind, and tried to remember her voice as Athenodora spoke. "Hello Carlisle."

I slipped off the brown jacket I wore and hung it on the back of the chair of the writing desk. I hoped that maybe if I ignored her, she'd go away, but they were empty thoughts. "You can't ignore me forever Carlisle," her singsong voice called from the bed. I took a deep breath and sat down at the desk, my back to her. I took out an small bottle of ink and a quill—Aro kept things old-fashioned—and wrote a useless letter to Esme I had no intention of sending, but it kept her in my mind, and prevented me from looking at Athenodora.

The bed creaked as she slid off it. She came over to the desk as sat on it, pretty much in my face. I let out an irritated sigh, but she just ran her long, delicate fingers through my hair. It felt… good. I growled and pulled out of her reach, knocking the chair over backwards in my haste.

She just giggled. "Carlisle, you can't escape it. You're going to have sex with me before you leave," she said seductively. I felt my pants rise. _Take her, Carlisle!_ the monster inside me growled. _She wants you. Esme will never know, well maybe Edward… No! Carlisle, don't do this! Esme is your wife! You love her, not Dora. Be strong for her. You don't want her, you know that,_ my more sensible side reminded.

She giggled once more seeing the bulge in my pants. She got off the desk and in one swift movement, I was flat on my back on the bed with her hovering over me. I gulped and tried to push her off.

Giggling again at my feeble attempt, she straddled my legs and started to unbutton my pants. With all my strength I had left in me, I shoved her away. She flew back into the brick wall, shattering them. The door flung open as Randall ran in. Demetri and Felix followed.

Felix smirked a little. "Master Caius isn't gonna like this," he commented. "But you're not the only one she's tried it on."

Athenodora got to her feet, snarling. "I'll kill you Carlisle Cullen! Caius will—"

"I'll what?" Caius's deep voice rumbled as the two guards parted for him as he came into the room.

"C- Caius," the blonde-haired woman choked out. "Caius, he tried to kill me!"

"I'm quite aware of what's been going on. Aro informed me just recently about your little… endeavors to get Carlisle to… be intimate with you," he said. His voice was eerily calm, but I could feel the anger radiating off him. He then looked over at me. "I apologize heavily for my wife's… ventures with you. Please forgive the both of us, but I think you'll find that it won't be a problem in the future," he said, shooting a glare at his wife.

I nodded warily. "But, Caius, don't be too hard on her," I said quietly. Sure, I was upset with Athenodora, but it was the same thing with Mary the nurse, I didn't want either of them to get in trouble because of me.

Even though I knew he heard me, he still ignored me. He went over and grabbed his wife's arm and drug her out of my room.

* * *

><p>AN: Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! Please review and follow! :)


	29. Chapter 29: The Offer

**Discalimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine - ****The Offer**

"Carlisle… I think I'm gonna call it a night," Randall commented one evening while we were in the library. I looked over at the younger man, a little confused. It wasn't like him to turn in early.

I glanced at my watch. "It's only 7:45, why the rush?"

He shrugged. "I just wanna relax… I was thinking about writing a letter to my family… make sure they know I'm alright."

I sighed. It wasn't the first time Randall had suggested this. I kept trying to convince him that it would be best just to leave it alone, and let them think he was dead. Unfortunately the poor kid was hell-bent on making sure his family knew he was alright.

"Randall…" I began in a sigh.

"I know, I know…" he replied sadly. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said quickly and left the library.

Sighing, I continued to read and study until around 11:30. Once I had enough, I shelved all the books I'd been looking through, mostly those cover various types of medical science, and went to my room.

Randall's room was right next to mine so I could usually hear what went on. Once I was in hearing distance of it, I immediately heard Randall's voice. "Oh God!" he cried from inside. It was followed by many groans.

Confused I went to his room and opened the door to find a scene I would have loved to never have discovered. Randall was copulating with a woman on his bed. I recognized her immediately. She had long black hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. I remembered her as Renata, Aro's personal guard. She held her lover close to her, a look of pure ecstasy on her face. Randall looked up and gasped when he saw me. He covered them both quickly.

"Uh…" he began uncertainly.

"No need to explain," I whispered averting my gaze.

I smelled Aro coming before I heard his footsteps. He entered the room behind me, but didn't seemed very shocked by the scene inside. "Hello, Renata," he greeted the woman kindly. Renata buried her face in Randall's chest. Randall held her close to him. "I see you've met my personal guard," Aro said to Randall.

Randall gulped a little.

Aro let out a loud laugh that sounded almost like he was twisted and insane. "Oh, Randall, I'm not angry! In fact, I came here to ask you if you wished to join the Volturi. Marcus informed me of the growing relationship between you too."

Whatever blood I had me ran cold when Aro mentioned that. I had to call Esme. Without warning, I bolted from the room and ran out of the castle ignoring the looks I got from Felix, Jane and anyone else I passed. I ran out into the city, using horrible profanity when I couldn't find cell phone service.

"DAMMIT! DAMN THIS DAMNED CITY!" I yelled. If I had no sense at all, I would've throne my phone as far as I could. I didn't know why I was so angry, well then again maybe I did. In the days, and weeks previous, I'd come to think of Randall as a son. I didn't want to lose him—nor did I want to lose Edward, Emmett and Jasper—but I also feared of being selfish. I could say that Edward would not join the Volturi, because I knew he despised them with a burning passion. I knew that my first son would rather die than join them.

I couldn't say that for Randall. I wasn't sure what he would choose, but I did know this—I wanted him to be happy. If he loved Renata, and if he really wanted to stay with the Volturi, I would have let him. But I knew I needed to talk to Esme. If I didn't speak to her, and hear her calming voice, I was going to spontaneously combust.

When I finally found service, I called Esme. She answered on the first ring. "Carlisle?" she asked apprehensively into the phone. "Are you alright? I was worried when you didn't call earlier. Is everything okay?"

_Shit! I forgot to call her! Dammit!_ I swore silently. _Oh, fuck it!_ Not even giving her a proper hello, I told her about Randall and Renata, and about Aro's offer.

Esme sighed when I was finished. "Carlisle… why did you bring him there?" she asked, her voice in an agonized whisper.

I opened my jaws to snap, at her, but whatever sanity I still had left reminded me of the ultimatum Esme gave me—I had to control my temper or else she was leaving. I took a deep breath. "I don't know… Believe me I didn't think it would climax like this."

Esme let out a ragged sigh. "I think I'll send Emmett and Edward up there to help you."

"No," I said too quickly. I didn't want Edward coming—it would only spur Aro to ask questions about Edward's unwavering decision, and Emmett would do something stupid and all of us would be screwed. "It'll only bring on unwanted questions and attention… Besides… I don't think Aro will harm me… If this is truly what Randall wants then we have no choice. I'm not going to take him away from someone he loves."

Esme said nothing afterwards, but knowing her, I knew she was nodding. "I felt like he was a part of the family…" she whispered her voice cracking in pain.

"Hey, we don't know if he's leaving or not," I tried to reassure her, but something told me Randall would chose to stay with his lover.

* * *

><p>I got back to the castle around one in the morning. Esme and I spent most of that time on the phone. <em>Our phone bills will be huge this month,<em> I mused as I went into my room. Randall sat on the bed, fully clothed thank God.

"Have you made your decision?" I asked him, surprised with how calm and sensible I sounded.

"Yes," Randall replied apprehensively. "I'm not staying."

I looked up at him, surprised. "You're not?"

Randall shook his head. "I don't belong here," I murmured after a few moments of silence.

"What makes you say that? You love Renata, don't you? She'll be heart-broken to see you leave," I commented. The monster inside me growled. _Carlisle, what the hell are you doing? Are you actually trying to persuade him to stay in this hellhole?_

"That's the thing—I'm not sure if I love her or not," he admitted guiltily, staring at his feet. "I know it was foolish of me to be… intimate with her when I wasn't sure, but… I felt like I did, but now… I've been thinking about Emily—the human girl I killed when I was younger... I loved her more than anything, and… and I killed her."

I watched Randall sadly as he buried his face in his hands. "I don't know if she'd ever forgive me for betraying her like that…" he whispered, his voice coming out half-strangled. He then raised his hands slightly and ran his hands down his face. "The point is I'm leaving… but will all due respect, I don't think I'll be returning to you and your family… I… I need to be alone. You and your family have been so kind to me, and I love you all, but… but it's time I go my own way."

His words pierced my heart like a knife. "I guess I can understand," I whispered. "How did Aro and Renata take it?"

Randall sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Renata ran out crying and Aro looked disappointed, but claimed he respected my decision, and left… I think I want to leave now."

I nodded. "Very well, but if you can, can you come home first? Esme and the others will miss you so much… I'll miss you."

He looked up at me and smiled. "Thank you, Carlisle. I'll miss you too. I'll come and visit sometimes."

I nodded sadly and started to pack my things.

* * *

><p>AN: Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! Please review and follow! :)


	30. Chapter 30: Forks

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Thirty - ****Forks**

After Randall left, a tearful—or should I say tearless—goodbye followed. Everyone missed him. I wanted to be able to work again. I was getting quite bored just sitting around the house all day. After many family meetings, we all decided to move to Forks, Washington. Jasper believed that he would be able to restrain himself around the High school children, so he and Alice would be registering.

Esme took care of the registrations for school, while Alice and Rosalie planned her wedding. We all decided that it would be best to wait for summer. It was only mid-May, so we had a while. Rosalie would get married in June, and their honeymoon would last the entire summer so they would be able to return for the school year.

With the wedding fast approaching, as well as the move, everyone was busy. I was in my study one night, filling out the application form for the hospital in Forks when my door swung open with a creak. I looked up, swiftly, then back down to my writing, but I had to do a double-take. Esme stood in the doorway wearing nothing but one of her enthralling nightgowns.

Esme came in and closed the door behind her with a dark smirk. I arched an eyebrow, smiling slightly. I wanted to finish filling out my papers, but with her in the room, that would be impossible. I hardened just by seeing her in that nightgown. I looked down and it looked like my pants had pitched a tent in my crotch.

She came over and sat on my desk, crossing her legs invitingly. For a moment, I tried to ignore her and went back to my writing. Her hand teased my hair, as she twirled it around in her fingers. "May I help you?" I asked politely, looking up at her.

"I've been waiting for you to come to bed," she informed me in a pouty voice.

"Sorry. I've been filling out all these forms for the hospital," I told her truthfully. I had almost all of them done—just two left.

Esme took my hand that held my pen, and pried it away from my fingers. She got up and walked around the desk and sat in my lap, brushing the bulge in my pants, making it go even more erect. She placed both of my hands on her breasts. "Take me, Carlisle," she breathed. And that was all it took.

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><p>The move to Forks went smoothly. We settled into our new, beautiful house that was designed by Esme easily. The house truly was made for us—the location was perfect, and the house itself had enough privacy and enough openness at the same time, its design also brought a small piece of Isle Esme back for us.<p>

Esme helped Rosalie prepare for the wedding while Alice and Jasper prepared for school, by taking acceptance tests, which Edward helped them with. I spent most of my time at the hospital again. As always, the nurses adored me.

I was sitting in my office, looking through files, when the receptionist, Sadie came over the intercom. "Dr. Cullen," she said over the speaker.

I pressed the button, repressing a sigh. She had a huge crush on me, and whenever she called, me she would make it a long, rambling conversation, just so she'd hear my voice. "Yes, Sadie?"

"Your son is here to see you," she said, sounding a little confused. I knew she would be—I looked quite young to have a son Edward's age. I was also confused. Why would Edward come here? Unless, something horrible happened…

"Send him in," I told her urgently. Less than a minute later, Edward was opening door to my office. I rose to my feet seeing him. "What's wrong? Is Esme alright?"

"Yes, and no," Edward admitted. "I would have called, but your line was busy all day… We had a visitor today."

I watched him, carefully. "Yes, and?" I asked getting impatient.

"It was Garrett—you remember him?" Edward asked.

I nodded. "Of course, I could never forget," I muttered as I recounted how he flirted with Esme and Rosalie.

"Well, he stopped by. He said there was a tracker in the area that caught Esme's scents. He is one of those sadistic creeps that track vampires for fun only to kill them. He's like Demetri from the Volturi, but nowhere near as powerful. We took her to my second house in Chicago—you know the one. It should throw him off, but he won't stop until we kill him, or…" he trailed off.

I knew that Edward owned a house in Chicago—his hometown. I was more than happy he had another—not only for this, but also for other emergencies—say we needed to move quickly. After our whole nomad experience, he decided to buy a second house to fall back on.

"Are you absolutely sure that this tracker is after her?" I asked. Garrett seemed trustworthy, but at the same time, I wasn't sure if we should believe him.

"I read his mind—he was telling the truth. The tracker's name is Peter," Edward said, almost disgustedly.

My eyes widened slightly. "Not, Jasper's Peter?" I asked, bewildered. I knew that Jasper's good friend, Peter, and his wife Charlotte were nomads, and were good friends to Jasper since he helped save them.

"No," Edward said almost thankfully. "It's a different Peter. He three others with him—two women and a man—I didn't catch their names. They were never spoken to Garrett."

"Thank you, Edward," I said. "Can you lead the others to find Peter and his companions? I'm going to Chicago to be with Esme."

Edward nodded. "I expected so. Jasper, Emmett, and Alice are already following them. Rosalie is with Esme in Chicago. After I was going to tell you, I was going to join Jasper and the others."

"Very well. I'll send Rosalie along to assist you," I informed him.

Edward nodded. As I turned to brush past him and inform the nurses that I was leaving, Edward grasped my shoulder in his hand. "Dad," I whispered, his voice barely audible to human ears. "Be careful, and keep Mom safe."

I nodded. "I will, son," I replied, looking in his eyes. It was one of those rare moments Edward and I shared a 'father-son-moment'. "I love you."

"I love you too… Go," Edward responded.

* * *

><p>I reached Edward's house in Chicago in a matter of a half-hour. Running was much more easy, and efficient than driving. I pounded on the door of the house. No one answered. "It's me, Carlisle!" I shouted.<p>

A moment later, the door flung open and Esme launched herself into my arms. I wrapped my arms around her tightly, holding her closely to me. Her body shook with tearless sobs as she buried her face in my chest. "Carlisle… I'm so scared," she whispered.

"I know, I know, my love," I whispered and kissed the top of her head. "Rosalie, go back to Forks—find Edward and the others. They're hunting the tracker," I instructed, seeing the blonde vampire appear.

Rosalie nodded and darted past us. After that, I picked up Esme, hitching her legs around my hips, not breaking our embrace and carried her inside. We didn't make love that night. There was too much on our minds. Edward called and reported to us the situation every few hours.

Each call, our blood ran cold. We both were dreading the death call that would announce that one of our beloved children was dead, or if the vampires had killed our family, and were calling to make us fear them more.

I was also on alert for every sight and sound. My ears were pricked, and I tried not to breathe, since that would make it more difficult for me to hear any sound that would announce someone was nearby. I also scented the air constantly, checking for new scents. When this tracker came, I'd be ready.

Around two in the morning, there was a crash downstairs. Esme and I jumped up. The door to the bedroom flung open. In our door, stood Aro from the Volturi.

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><p>AN: Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! Please review and follow! :)


	31. Chapter 31: The Tracker

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Thirty-One - ****The Tracker**

I stared at Aro with wide eyes. "Why the hell are you here?" I snarled leaping to my feet. Esme began trying to calm me down with soft words, but I was too angry.

Aro raised his hands in defense. "Peace, my friend," Aro said peacefully, but his practiced composure only infuriated me more.

"Peace? There is no peace! A tracker is after my wife, and you break the door down? You don't even knock? You scared us shitless!" I yelled at him, discordantly.

"Carlisle!" Esme scolded, hearing my profanity.

Aro looked unmoved by my temper. "Carlisle, I have heard of your unfortunate predicament."

"Why are you here, and who told you?" I demanded. I could only imagine what my face looked like—hard, and eyes blazing in fury.

"Edward called," Aro replied simply.

I looked at the Volturi leader, surprised. I raised my eyebrows. "_Edward_ called you? My son Edward?"

Aro chuckled at my disbelief, making my temper flare once more. "Yes. He said that if I gave you and your family my assistance in your time of need, he would repay me."

Fear clawed at my stomach. What did Edward offer to repay Aro if Aro agreed to help us? "What did he… offer?" I asked, my voice barely audible.

"He offered his allegiance to the Volturi if I sent Demetri and a few of my strongest guard members over to help you with your… little problem," Aro replied with an almost evil smirk.

My jaws dropped, but Esme took the words out of my mouth. "Edward agreed to join the Volturi?" she asked, her voice cracking. We were losing our son because of a stupid tracker, and we could do nothing about it. Edward had made the choice because he loved us, and he wanted me to be happy, and he wanted to protect Esme… He sacrificed his own happiness for us…

Aro nodded, a triumphant glaze in his eyes.

Anger erupted inside me. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" I snarled and launched myself at Aro. Esme grabbed my arm to try and hold me back.

"Carlisle, stop it! We can't risk a fight with the Volturi!" she added the last part in a whisper.

I looked at my wife's concerned face and realized she was right. Aro just chuckled darkly. "Smart girl you've got their Carlisle."

Glaring at him, I pulled Esme close to me. "Who else did you bring?"

"Demetri, Felix, and Santiago—they're the strongest, and Demetri, well he's a tracker as well. Your little problem will be taken care of quickly, my friend," Aro assured with a gentle smile.

Aro seemed almost different—he got what he wanted, and now he was happy. Edward would be a member of the Volturi now—a true monster, a vampire that fed only of humans… He would be a tool to Aro, like a novelty item for Aro to show off. Aro had his very own mind-reader now. I had a feeling he would not stop there. I knew that he would also have his eye on Alice.

Speaking of the devil, my phone buzzed. I left Esme's side and went over to the bedside table and answered it. "Hello?" I asked into the phone, my voice sounding ragged.

"Carlisle, it's Alice," her girlish voice came in form the other end. "You've got to get Esme out of there! The tracker is on his way, and he's bringing his companions. I don't know how close he is. By the way, a certain someone won't be doing a certain thing in the future," Alice said into the phone and hung up.

I wondered what she meant by the last sentence, but I didn't have much time to hypothesize, Esme's safety was my top priority. "Esme, we've gotta move, they're on their way here."

Esme's eyes widened. "Carlisle," she breathed, her voice trembling.

"Carlisle, I have an idea," Aro said suddenly.

I looked into the black-haired vampire's blood-red eyes. I narrowed my own, searching his face. "What's your plan?"

* * *

><p>Esme and I didn't like Aro's plan but we agreed it would be best. Aro would carry Esme east, since his scent would most likely mask hers, and plan on going to Volterra, meanwhile, I would take a bag full of Esme's scents and run south, and hopefully find Peter and Charlotte and take refuge with them. Esme would then be overseas with the protection of the Volturi.<p>

"Please, please be careful," Esme begged as we prepared to leave.

I kissed her lips softly, and tenderly, trying not to dwell on the fact that if something went wrong this would be the last kiss I gave her. "I will, as long as you do the same."

Esme gave me a weak smile and kissed my lips again, quickly. "I love you," she whispered. She went over to Aro and let him pick her up, bridal style. I watched in envy as Aro carried my wife off into the woods.

I took a deep breath and picked up the bag of Esme's clothes before darting off into the forest. I made sure to leave a good scent trail. I knew the tracker would pick it up and hopefully follow the stronger scent. I made a scent all the way down to Texas when I got another phone call.

"CARLISLE!" Alice screamed into the phone.

I nearly dropped the phone as I winced from the volume of her voice. "Jeez, Alice are you trying to make me deaf?" I snapped into the phone.

"Sorry, but you've got to move! Hurry, get to Ohio! Aro and Esme are resting there at the moment, and the tracker figured it out! He figured out that you were leading a false trail! Demetri, Felix, Emmett and Rose are trying to head them off, but they can't! They'll get their first, Carlisle you need to hurry!" Alice pleaded.

"Okay, okay, but I'm in Texas," I told Alice sadly.

Alice cursed. "Damn it! Well, hurry!"

I didn't need to be told twice. Moving with incredible speed, even for a vampire, I ran as fast as I could to Ohio. I needed to get to Esme and protect her. I need to make her safe again. Cold adrenaline pumped through me as I neared the location Alice told me.

Esme screamed, making my heart break. I came to the edge of a clearing. Esme was trying to dodge the punches of two female vampires, while Aro grappled with the two males. Esme screamed as one female, a brown-haired woman landed a punch on her cheek. Esme collapse to the ground, her head disconnected from her body.

* * *

><p>AN: Hehehe, I love cliff-hangers! :D Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! Please review and follow! :)


	32. Chapter 32: New Plan

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!

Chapter Thirty-Two -

**New Plan**

The first feeling I felt when I saw Esme lying beheaded in the grass was pure horror. _No… No! No, no, no, God, please no! _I begged silently. My shock and horror quickly melted into rage. I never liked the idea of killing another creature, but any kind of gentleman inside me was gone now. The monster that had spent so much time inside, deep down, and usually hushed by my responsible side, now controlled me.

I ran toward the brunette letting out a roar of rage, and grabbed her throat in my hand. The other woman hissed in surprise and tried to attack me from behind. I swung around and knocked the over woman over with the first. I stared into the brunette's eyes, feeling nothing but hatred for her. There was a burning anger in my throat that made my chest ache. I hated her more than anything else on earth.

"GINGER!" a male's voice yelled from over near Aro. I glanced over quickly to see Aro punch the man's head off.

"BROM!" the brunette in my hands screamed back as she watched the man, who was most likely her mate, fall dead at Aro's hands. I twisted off her head as well, ending her.

The other woman, a blonde with a perfect face that reminded me very much of Rosalie's beauty hissed in fury. She spat something in Latin and rushed at me. She tried to punch me in the head, using the same move the brunette used to end Esme, but I ducked and grabbed her arm and flipped her.

She hissed but twisted while I flipped her and kicked me hard in the chest, sending me flying back. "GISELLE!" the red-haired man that was now fighting Aro yelled. He called something to her in Latin again. She nodded and darted off into the forest. The redhead was quick to follow. Aro dove toward him, but missed the man's waist by an inch, and fell to the ground.

The tracker and his mate disappeared, leaving Aro and I alone. I rose to my feet and darted over to Esme. Her beautiful golden eyes were still open, and her body was undisturbed by my fight with the women. The monster was now calm, and I could think clearly once more. "Esme," I choked out as I rolled her over so she lay on her back and tried to reattach her head to her body.

It took a few tries, but Esme's had finally connected, and her body was no longer rigid as she sucked in a breath. She looked up at me with fear in her eyes. "Carlisle…" she whispered, but I cut her off.

"Shh, my love," I murmured and pulled her into my arms, holding her tightly against me. I murmured reassuring words to her head, but the more I think about it, I think I did it more to calm myself down, rather than her.

"Is she alright?" Aro called from across the field.

"Yeah!" I replied let out a merry, relieved laugh.

Aro smiled happily and lit Brom and Ginger on fire while I rocked Esme. The scents of my family as well as the few Volturi members wafted over us as they approached. Edward was the first to come to the clearing. He went right over to us and hugged Esme.

"Why did you do that, Edward?" Esme asked, sobbing tearlessly.

"Because I needed to," he murmured softly. "It was the only way I could keep you safe. I wasn't going to let them kill you. Alice saw the vision. If I wouldn't have called Aro, you would be dead by now, Esme."

I looked at Edward gratefully. He really did care about us, and he was willing to give up his own happiness for us, but it still didn't take away the pain.

Edward then rose from his crouch beside us, and went over to Aro. Unease crept over me as I watched my son follow Edward around like a lost puppy, doing anything and everything he asked. I wished the pain would end—first the possibility of losing my beloved Esme, and now this.

Esme buried her face in my chest. "Oh, Carlisle," she half-whimpered.

"I know, my dear," I murmured. "We need to get you out of here though. You need to go to somewhere safe… Maybe south."

"South?" Esme asked, sniffling. She pulled away and looked at my face, unsure.

"If we can find Peter and Charlotte, they might be able to help us. Hopefully, this will be resolved quickly; there are eleven of us and only two of them," I tried to assure us both.

"What if they seek out reinforcements?" Jasper's voice came from behind me. I looked over my shoulder at the young man, covered in battle scars. He walked over toward us, and seemed to tower over us, as I sat, Indian-style on the grass, holding Esme in my lap.

"Please don't bring that up," Esme whispered, resting her head on my chest once more.

"It's a possibility, and it's most likely what they'll plan to do," Jasper murmured, half to himself.

"Jazz, stop being so pessimistic," Alice said disapprovingly. She went over and kissed her husband gently on the lips. "Even if they do, we'll still most likely out number them."

"Most likely," Jasper murmured listlessly.

"Come, on Jazz!" Emmett called as he walked swiftly up to his brother. "Not afraid of a couple nomads are you?" he baited.

"Emmett," I warned him, with a sharp look.

Emmett shrugged. "His balls, not mine."

"EMMETT!" he all said in unison. I did my best not to chuckle. Though profanity came out, Emmett had a bad habit of saying it the most often, and at the most inappropriate times.

Emmett raised his hands in defense and walked off to stand by Rosalie. Aro was speaking with Demetri and Felix. The three Volturi members walked over. "Demetri, Felix, Santiago and Edward are heading back out to try and find them," Aro informed me.

I nodded. "Should we continue with the plan? If we decide to continue and take Esme to Volterra, I'm going with her."

Aro nodded, understandingly. "I understand. I will stay here and help the others," he murmured.

"Aro," Jasper called to the Volturi leader. Aro went over and the two began speaking in hushed voices. Alice watched them nervously. I knew she was worried that Aro would try to hurt Jasper because he was involved with the newborn armies in his younger days.

"Carlisle…" Esme whispered, looking up at me. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything," I promised, kissing her forehead. "When this is all over… can we… go back to Isle Esme?" she asked sheepishly.

Her question took me by surprise, but I nodded. "Of course," I said and kissed her cheek. The thought of going back to Isle Esme, relaxing and spending all day in the bedroom with my wife was quite alluring. "We could always go there now."

"That's actually a good idea, Carlisle," Alice mused looking away from Jasper and Aro to the two of us. "The tracker would never think to look there. Taking someone overseas will always throw someone off for a period of time. While you and Esme are safe there, we can track him and the girl down."

"While we're there relaxing…" I murmured. "I don't want you guys to do all the real work while we… lay back."

"You won't be," Alice assured. "We know you'll be worried, and Esme's safety is our main concern."

Esme looked at me pleadingly, and I finally nodded. "Okay. We'll leave tonight."

* * *

><p>AN: Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! Please review and follow!


	33. Chapter 33: The Worst Possible News

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight!**

**Chapter Thirty-Three - ****The Worst Possible News**

The plane ride to Rio was long and full of hourly phone call updates from Alice. Esme and I took turns sleeping, Esme always looking cuter than a teddy bear when she slept. I would usually mess with her while she "slept" which made her smile and giggle.

When we finally landed in Rio, we went to the harbor. From there, we took the boat I bought, _The Cullen Cruiser_ Esme had decided to call it, and drove it to the island and docked it there. I carried her, bridal style inside the house. Esme giggled, playing with my shirt as I took her into the living room.

"Where to, the living room or the bedroom?" I asked as if I didn't already know the answer.

"Bedroom," Esme replied with a sly smile.

The good thing about having a second house meant having an entire set of second clothes. That meant that it would be fine if I ripped Esme's dress off her body, which I ended up doing. Even though everything was so stressful and dangerous at the moment, we couldn't resist. We hadn't slept with one another in I couldn't remember how long and with all those pillows and blankets, we couldn't resist. Afterward, we curled up in bed and watched a movie on the plasma screen TV in the bedroom.

We watched _Finding Nemo_ since it was on TV, and Esme couldn't resist. She liked animated movies, and I had to admit, it was cute and funny. Esme enjoyed it the most. I felt bad for the Clownfish who lost his mate… Wait… I'm sympathizing for a fish…? What have I become? Oh, well… the point is: it was cute.

Esme said we needed to buy it and make the kids watch it. I chuckled. "Darling, just because we enjoy it, doesn't mean the kids will. Can you imagine what Emmett would say?"

We both laughed. Esme snuggled into me. "Can we go hiking tomorrow Carlisle?" she asked quietly.

"Of course," I murmured, kissing her hair.

"Great," she whispered contentedly.

We were both silent a minute before I thought of something. "You know, Esme, we haven't tried out the bathtub yet," I murmured in her ear suggestively.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" she giggled excitedly and jumped out of my arms and off the beds. Seeing her nude figure standing before me instantly made me go hard. Surely not again… Esme pulled my hands so I stood beside her, also in my birthday suit. Esme led me to the bathroom. Inside was a large round bathtub that looked more like a small hot-tub. There was a long line of counters along one wall, and a smaller shower was next to the monstrous bathtub.

Esme started to run the water to fill up the tub, bending over so I got a good view of her ass. I slapped it gently and playfully, my darker side coming out to play. Esme giggled, "Carlisle, you naughty boy," she laughed.

I rolled my eyes playfully as she stood back up. "You first," she said playfully. Obediently, I did as she said, and laid in the large tub. Esme came in after me and laid on top of me pretty much. I planted almost feverish kisses on the nape, and the sides of her neck, and also behind her ears, sometimes biting gently on her earlobes.

Esme giggled and moaned just at the right moments, which made my erection spring to life, which made her giggle harder as she teased it.

The water rose and Esme added a bubble-bath mix in the water. The bubbles rose almost above our heads Esme giggled and flung some bubbles in my face. I glared at her playfully and tackled her, splashing water everywhere. Esme laughed and tried to move away in the large tub.

My phone buzzed a second later. Sighing, I dried my hands, and picked it up. Our fun was over. "Hello?"

"Carlisle, you have to get out of there!" Alice said into the phone urgently.

I sat up quickly. "Why? What's wrong?"

"He knows. He traced your scent trail to the airport and somehow figured out which plane you'd gone on, and looked up the flight destination! He knows you went to Rio, and Isle Esme is fairly close to the shore. He'll be able to sense her presence nearby," Alice said. "He'll get to the island, and kill you both! The girl is with him! You have to move!"

"How?" I demanded, getting infuriated. "My boat can only take us so far! If we go back to Rio, he'll find us!"

"I know, I know," Alice murmured worriedly. "Felix, Demetri, Edward, and Santiago are on their way. They're closer than we are."

"How long do we have until they get here?" I demanded, trying to not sound annoyed. Alice did so much for us, and I felt bad to yell at her. I would apologize later. I wasn't mad at her. I was angry at the situation.

"About ten minutes," Alice replied.

"Kay… Wish us luck," I murmured and hung up.

Esme was staring at me wide-eyed. With our sensitive hearing, I knew she heard everything. "Carlisle… what are we going to do?"

"We have to fight… it's our only chance…" I responded, distantly. "Get dressed. Hurry," I murmured before climbing out of the tub.

As we dressed I tried not to think about it. This could be our final hour. If we were killed, we would be burned and it would be over. If I were killed, God knows what would have happen to Esme, and if she were killed, I would beg for death. My life is nothing without her. I didn't want to think about what could happen. I could lose the love of my life. We could both be ended in the next half hour. Esme's eyes were also misted. I knew she was thinking the same thing I was. We were both dreading losing the one thing we couldn't live without—the other.

Five minutes later, we left the house and went into the forest. I remembered a nice secluded spot where we might be able to avoid them for a few more minutes. Esme didn't object as we went deep into the island, until we finally came upon a waterfall.

During our honeymoon, Esme and I had never really been to this spot, even though I'd seen a photo of it in the island's brochure. I thought the picture was beautiful and almost surreal, but seeing it in real life was absolutely magnificent, and almost radiant. The waterfall fell down into a large lagoon that was sheltered in a small valley. We waded into the water and swam to the waterfall.

Esme and I found a cave behind it and sheltered there. We were wrapped in each other's arms, dreading the moment when we would see two to figures come through the waterfall.

"I love you, Carlisle," Esme whispered.

"I love you too, Esme," I whispered back.

She kissed my lips softly, and I kissed her back tenderly. It was almost like time stopped. It felt like there was nothing else in the world but Esme and I. I loved her, and she loved me. I would fight for her until the end. I loved her more than anything. I would risk my life for her, and I knew that risk was inevitable.

When I pulled away, we saw two figures outlined on the other side of the waterfall. The two shapes loomed toward us, before slipping through the wall of water.

* * *

><p>AN: Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! Hehe, me loveth cliff-hangers! :D Please review and follow!


	34. Chapter 34: The Darkest Hour

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Thirty-Four - ****The Darkest Hour**

They came into the cave, causing Esme to shrink away from them, and squirm farther into my chest. Peter snickered seeing her reaction, causing me to growl. "Stay away from her!"

Peter laughed, and his mate snickered as well. "And what are you gonna do, oh mighty protector?" he taunted.

I wanted to lunge at him, but I knew that's what they were waiting for. When I would lunge, the other would go to Esme. I pulled Esme behind me to shield her from them. There was a hungry glint in the male's eyes as he stared ate Esme. What he truly had in mind for once they killed me became very real.

"No," I growled. He wanted me to go for his "mate" and kill her, then he would kill me… and he would have Esme all to himself.

Peter snickered. "Figured it out, did you?" he hissed in a low voice.

It took every ounce of self-control I had inside me to remain where I was. "I swear to God, I'll kill you," I growled.

Peter laughed out loud. "I'd like to see you try!"

The girl, Giselle, ran at me, but was tackled from behind by another figure. On the girl's back was none other than Edward. The girl hissed in surprise and fury as she tried to wriggle away from him. Peter's eyes widened as he watched Edward fight her.

I took the chance, and lunged for him. He turned and saw me coming at him, just in time to grab my forearm, when I swung it back to punch him. He punched me with his other hand in the ribs. Hissing, I sent him to the ground with a good knee in the groin.

A woman screamed, I spun around quickly to make sure it wasn't Esme. It wasn't Edward had Giselle in a headlock and was letting Esme take turns punching her. I chuckled a little, before turning around. The first thing I saw once I turned around, was a fist coming toward my face. I ducked just in time, and hit Peter with an uppercut.

Peter snarled in rage and tried to knee me in the groin, just like I'd done to him. Since I was wise to that move, I moved and hit him hard in the cheek with a right hook.

He hissed once more, and kicked my ankles with his feet, knocking me off my own. Once I was on the ground, he rolled toward me, grabbing my shoulders and working desperately to pin me to the rocky cave floor.

Growling, I tried to kick him in the abdomen as he was able to climb on top, and pin me below him, leaving me at his mercy.

Peter tried to keep me held steady, and it worked a few moments before I rolled over so I held him to the floor. We were both about the same age (I mean we were transformed around the same age) and we were both evenly matched as far as strength and size went, but there was one thing that would always distinguish us apart: his blood-red eyes.

Peter snarled and kicked me hard in the chest, sending me flying off him and into the stone wall. The impact was so hard that my body left an indent in the stone, before I fell to the ground, wincing in pain.

"Carlisle!" Esme screamed.

My head snapped up to see Esme with her mouth open staring in horror as Peter stalked toward me. He raised his fist, preparing to strike down and snap off my head, but I was faster and dove for his feet, knocking him off his balance.

"EDWARD!" Esme screamed once more. A moment later, hands closed around my neck, blocking off my air. I was pulled back and away from Peter. Peter said something in Latin to who I knew was Giselle.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Peter sneered looming over me.

Esme watched, stunned. A moment later, she scrambled over to Edward's body and desperately tried to reattach his head. "Stay where you are!" Peter snarled at Esme. "Go near him and this one dies," he warned jabbing a finger at me.

"Giselle, darling, would you kindly take care of him?" Peter asked, his tone softening as he spoke to his so-called mate.

Giselle's grip tightened around my neck. Any moment, she would twist my head sharply to the side, and snap it off. Is this how it was destined to end? Me, dying at the hands of those who meant harm to my beloved… Me, dying, knowing the horrible fate that awaited the only woman I ever loved… Even though the road had been rough, and bumpy there was one thing that never changed: our eternal love for one another. I remembered the day I met that beautiful stranger, all those years ago when she was only sixteen… That beautiful stranger was now counting on me to save her, and save our family.

Knowing my time was nearly over on this earth, I locked eyes with my beloved. "I'm sorry," she mouthed. I stared into her beautiful golden eyes. Unlike the other vampires who fed only on animals, her eyes were so pure… so prefect. They were like beautiful pools of melted gold. I wished I could tell her that I loved her. I wished I could wrap my arms around her, and comfort her… tell her how much I loved her.

That, of course was impossible. I could never express how much I love her. My love for her was indescribable; it was beyond words. I knew she loved me the same way. After all we'd been through… she would love me forever… and I her… I always thought was how it would be… Forever me, and forever her… now… now things were different… Now… it was our final hour…

_No,_ I growled silently, and suddenly. The monster inside me was rising. _You love her! You are meant to protect her! This is not the end! It can't be! You two have worked too hard, and have been together too long to let it end like this!_ the monster snarled.

I let out a roar of rage and was somehow able to struggle out of Giselle's grip. Peter, who had been making his way slowly toward my wife, hissed in surprise, and whipped around to face me.

Growling, I spun around and beheaded his mate with one hard punch to the head. Peter's eyes widened in mock surprise and lunged at me. "Esme, get Edward!" I grunted as I grabbed his fist and tried to knee him in the groin.

Peter punched me with his other hand in the chin when I wasn't paying attention, causing me to stumble back. He took that chance and rammed into me, sending us both tumbling through the waterfall and into the lagoon.

The two of us wrestled under the water. The waterfall roared even louder under the water. The force of the waterfall kept us submerged. Peter landed a punch on my ear, cracking if off. Peter yanked me up to the surface and tried to punch off my head. I did all I could to stop him and ducked back under the water.

When I came back up, my hands finally found his neck. I squeeze down on it hard, almost immobilizing him. Peter choked and spluttered in my hands. With great effort, I twisted his head off.

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><p>AN: Yay! This is almost complete. I don't know if you're happy our sad about this. XD THanks for reading, please continue to read, and review!


	35. Chapter 35:The End is Just the Beginning

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Chapter Thirty-Five - ****The End Is Just the Beginning**

Edward and I rounded up the body parts of Peter, and Giselle and burned them. Afterward, all three of us looked around for my ear, until we found it at the bottom of the lagoon.

"Carlisle…" Edward murmured as we sat in the cave, staring into the dancing flames of the fire.

"Yes?" I asked, wrapping my arms tighter around Esme. Esme snuggled into my chest happily, but we both knew that in a few hours' time, we would be saying good-bye to our son.

"Aro and I talked, and… well… He said it wasn't fair—the condition he made me agree to—so… I'll be staying with the family," he informed.

My eyes widened. Esme launched herself out of my arms and into Edward's. She held him tightly to her. "Oh, Edward!" she cried happily.

Edward smiled weakly and hugged her back. "Love you too, Mom."

Esme kissed his cheek and squeezed him one last time, before returning to my lap. "What, don't I get the same greeting?" I jested as she crawled back across the cave floor to me.

She rolled her eyes playfully and kissed my lips softly. "I love you, Carlisle," she murmured, and rested her head on my chest.

"And I, you," I replied softly and kissed her head.

Edward watched us, longingly. "When will we be returning to Forks?" he inquired conversationally.

"Tomorrow most likely, where are the others?" I queried, rubbing Esme's back soothingly.

"Last I checked, Alice and the others were in Mexico, making their way south. Jasper was worried about meeting Maria, so he and the other Volturi members went back up to Forks," Edward sighed.

"Jasper is alone with the Volturi?" I demanded, worriedly.

Esme whimpered a little as my arms tightened around her a little too tight. My grip relaxed immediately once I realized I was hurting her. She kissed my neck thankfully and continued to listen to us talk.

"Yes. Alice said she didn't see anything bad happening while they were there. Aro and the others will be returning to Italy tomorrow as well. Aro claims that Caius and Marcus are lost without him," Edward remarked, amused.

"I'm sure Caius and Marcus are doing just fine without him—Caius especially," I mused.

"I think Aro is concerned that Caius will make some demented move to take over Italy, or Europe," Edward joked.

I rolled my eyes playfully as Esme giggled into my chest. "I'm glad things are back to normal."

By the next day, we were back in Forks with the others. We were received a very warm reception. Esme and I both wished we could have stayed on Isle Esme, but we had business to take care of at Forks, and I didn't want to lose my job at the hospital again.

"Thank God you three are safe!" Alice cried when she saw us before throwing her arms around Edward. Edward hugged her back awkwardly, shooting a desperate look at me.

Alice pulled away and bounced over to me, giving me a hug as well, before finally hugging Esme. The others didn't show their relief and love for us as much Alice did, but it the relief was obvious on their faces.

Aro emerged from the house, followed by his three guards. "I think it would be best if we leave you now. You seem to have everything under control for the time being," Aro mused.

I nodded. "Thank you for you… support, and assistance Aro. I doubt we would have survived this ordeal without you."

"You are quite welcome Carlisle," Aro said kindly before turning to Felix, Demetri, and Santiago and barked: "_Andiamo l'inferno fuori di qui._" The four Volturi members disappeared in a blur as they darted off back toward their home.

"I have school tomorrow—we all do," Edward informed me. "I have homework to do," he said in mock worry.

I chuckled. "I'm sure you'll do fine. I have work tomorrow."

Esme smiled. "You'll both do great. All of you," she said happily. "Now, Rosalie, February 21st is the day you were planning on having the wedding right? That's almost a month away, I think we can get it together by then," Esme offered.

Rosalie and Esme began to walk slowly back to the house, deep in conversation. Alice skipped after them, begging for them to wait for her.

The rest of us chuckled. "I'd say things are finally back to normal," Emmett offered.

"Yes, I concur with that," Edward confirmed.

"So, Crazy Hair, when are you gonna get hitched?" Emmett jested.

Jasper and I rolled our eyes. We went back into the house, and I retreated to my study, wishing to stay out of the way of the girls' crazy discussions and wedding details. I browsed through my books for a good hour, until I heard the girls' babbling outside finally die down.

Once I decided it was safe enough to leave, I shelved the books I'd been reading and left the room. I went to my own room to find Esme waiting for me on the bed in one of her "special" nightgowns.

"I've been waiting for you… Dr. Cullen," she breathed.

A moment later, I was at the bed with her, my lips crushing against hers. She kissed me back, demanding entrance with her tongue, which I gladly granted. She ran her fingers through my hair and caressed my face with her other hand.

For a good three hours, we made love. I had missed the feeling of her body so much. Almost losing her made me realize how precious she was. I'd had that feeling before, but now that everything was over, and we could get back to a life of peace, and tranquility, it was definitely a cry of ecstasy to be able to do that in peace, and not fear that that would be the last time you would touch the other.

The next morning, against all of her pleas, I dressed for work. "Esme, you know I have to go."

Esme sighed exaggeratedly. "Must you, Carlisle?"

"Yes, I must, I'm afraid. You don't know how much I would have liked to just lay there with you forever, but we have the rest of forever, my love," I reminded, looking down at her perfect nude form.

Esme rose to her feet and fastened my tie around my neck. "Forever will never be long enough," she breathed on my face, before planting a luscious kiss on my lips.

Once she pulled away, I smiled and left to go to work. Around three-thirty, I was sitting in my office. "Dr. Cullen," Sadie came over the intercom once more. "Your son is here."

Fear clawed at my stomach. "Send him in," I murmured urgently, rising to my feet.

Less than a minute later, Edward came through the door. "Edward, what's wrong?" I demanded, worriedly.

"What's wrong?" he scoffed. "Isabella Swan."

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><p>AN: Just the Epilogue left! D: Thanks for reading! Please review and continue to read!


	36. Epilogue: Happily Ever After

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!**

**Epilogue**

I sat in the forest, watching my Grand-daughter, Renesmee Cullen play with her father, Edward, and her mother, Bella. Jacob Black, her soul-mate, and werewolf, lay nearby in wolf form, watching the young child play soccer with Edward.

Smiling, Edward kicked the ball gently toward Renesmee. She kicked it back, full force, sending the ball straight into Edward's chest knocking him back.

It was hard to believe that less than six months ago, Aro and the rest of the Volturi members were trying to kill her. I was disappointed to have lost my friendship with Aro, but I was happy.

Things were rough. Edward had fallen in love with Bella while she was human. It wasn't easy. We had to go through another tracker incident, and Bella nearly died. All of our lives were torn apart in the next year when Edward left Bella. The family then scattered, and we didn't see each other until later that spring. Bella had gotten involved in extreme sports, and had begun to spend all of her time with the Quileute werewolves, particularly Jacob Black.

When Bella jumped off a cliff, Alice saw with her power. Rosalie told Edward, and Edward, thinking his beloved was dead, went to the Volturi to beg for death. Bella and Alice then had to go after him to try and convince him that Bella was indeed alive. The Volturi didn't let Edward and Bella's relationship go unnoticed and threatened to change Bella herself if Edward refused.

Bella found herself in love with Edward, as well as the werewolf, Jacob Black. She also ended up begin the prime target of the tracker's mate, Victoria. After battling a newborn army to keep her safe, we all thought things were going to go smoothly now, especially since Victoria was dead.

Things only got worse one Edward married Bella, and they went on their honeymoon at Isle Esme. Bella and Edward agreed that they would try to be intimate with each other, which resulted in Bella's pregnancy. Bella gave birth to a daughter, Renesmee Carlie Cullen, who was imprinted on by Jacob Black. After that, we risked a fight with the Volturi when Irina, our friend from the Denali coven betrayed us to the Volturi. Luckily, we were able to talk things out and all violence was avoided.

But overall, the think that most excited me was that I was a Grandfather now, and my beloved Esme was a Grandmother. She was more than happy to be one, even if it did symbolize we were both really old now. I looked up, and as if on cue, Esme emerged from the house, wearing a beautiful blue dress.

Smiling, I rose to my feet and walked back to the house, taking in her beautiful figure. Emmett and Rosalie, Alice and Jasper, and Edward and Bella all had their own houses now, which meant the main Cullen house was all ours. Esme backed up inside the house, allowing me to enter. I would have taken her right then if the walls hadn't been mostly composed of windows and our grand-daughter played not thirty feet away from us.

"Are you feeling alright?" Esme asked stroking my hair with her delicate fingers, and her enthralling touch.

"Wonderful. Why you ask?" I inquired curiously, wrapping my arms around her waist.

Her own arms took their usual position around my neck. Music played in the background. I knew the song; it was from the 50s—"Chances Are" by Johnny Mathis. We swayed to the music that sounded more like it belonged in the 40s.

"You just looked troubled sitting out there," she explained, shrugging. She looked into my eyes. I stared into her beautiful golden pools, before looking all around her face, admiring every feature and its perfection.

"I was just having a nostalgic moment is all… Remembering everything that's happened," I explained, twirling her around.

Esme giggled and kissed my nose when she came back close to me. "I love you Carlisle Cullen."

"I love you too, Esme Cullen," I replied, kissing her forehead. "We belong together, and we will always be together."

"Forever," she agreed.

"My beautiful stranger…" I murmured.

Esme giggled. "What did you just call me?"

I smiled, resting my head on hers. "That's what I thought you looked like when I met you. You were so beautiful, even as a human… even when you lie broken and bloody in my hospital… Even when you grimaced in pain... I still saw your impeccable beauty."

Esme giggled sheepishly. "You're exaggerating."

"No, I'm not. You are beautiful," I pressed hugging her tightly.

"That's just your opinion."

"It's a fact."

Esme rolled her eyes. "That's what I thought you were you know?" she murmured several seconds later.

"What was I?" I asked softly.

"A beautiful stranger."

I smiled. "I am not beautiful," I teased, just to annoy her.

"Yes you—wait. No, we're not starting that again," she said figuring out my motives.

Chuckling, I tightened our embrace. "I love you," I said again, and pressed my lips to hers. She kissed me back, locking her arms tightly around my neck. I picked her up and carried her off to our bedroom, never once breaking the kiss.

**The End**

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><p>AN: Sorry if "The End" seemed a little cheesey, but too bad! XD Thanks soooo much for reading this all the way through! I'm going to be doing another Carlisle and Esme FanFic called "The Pianist" which is about Carlisle and Esme working in a coffee shop. Well, you'll see XD Thanks again! Hope you enjoyed! PLease review!


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